


Glass Heart

by caleyedoscope



Category: DBSK|Tohoshinki|TVXQ, K-pop, SMTown
Genre: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, M/M, Pirates, Sky Pirates, Steampunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-19
Updated: 2013-10-19
Packaged: 2017-12-29 21:32:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1010343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caleyedoscope/pseuds/caleyedoscope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yunho’s been imprinted with the marks of the glass ship his whole life, hiding from anyone that might use him as a guide to take the fabled vessel into war. But he hasn’t hid as well as he thought because he finds himself a captive aboard the Sky Pirate’s ship and is forced into helping the Sky Pirate King uncover the secrets surrounding the Glass Ship and the one foretold to captain it. Falling in love along the way is just an accident.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> based on [this picture](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me0zzsqVQT1qb2wxao1_500.jpg)

  
Ever since his fifteenth birthday, Yunho has lived out of a push cart, selling whatever he can get his hands on, hiding the marks on his hands with rags. That particular birthday, his grandfather had told him what he was, whispering with his last breath, Yunho’s palms tingling as the crest of the Glass Ship had been passed onto them. A secret Key to be kept hidden, perhaps forever, perhaps only until it is needed.

Yunho secretly hopes he finds the person who needs it before he dies, mostly because this is a burden he doesn’t want to place on anyone else and partly because he wants to see the Glass Ship for himself.

He doesn’t want the _wrong_ person to find it either.

But he doesn’t think that’s going to happen, considering the ropes of black magic securing his arms behind his back and the gag biting into the corners of his mouth and drying his tongue.

It’s not hard to guess who managed to find him, not with the most ferocious gun he’s ever seen pointed pointed at his forehead—encrusted diamonds not withstanding. It’s all for show anyway, since he knows they need him alive. The marks on his hands won’t work otherwise.

Someone hauls him to his feet as the floor spins, the drugs they’d given him not entirely worn off, and warm hands settle against his cheeks, gun gone as he shuts his eyes. “Poor baby,” a voice croons, “I think we gave you too much.”

Yunho tries hard not to throw up, well acquainted with the voice and mentally cursing his non-existent luck. Fucking Sky Pirate King. The one person Yunho’d wanted to avoid the most and he’s trussed up on the pirate’s damned vessel.

“Get him a chair,” the voice orders, “and a glass of water.”

Something scrapes loudly and the hands push him down onto a hard seat, fingers coming around to undo his gag and wipe at his mouth. He feels his hands and feet stuck to the chair with more magic and he gives up on running, at least for the moment. Considering where he is, magic is not something from which he can break free, not in his current condition.

“Drink.”

He’s not given a choice, and even then, he wants it, wetting his throat and coughing as it’s poured too fast. He wants the use of his hands back but he doesn’t want to show them, even though the pirates clearly know the marks are there.

“You should open your eyes,” the gentle voice suggests.

Yunho knows exactly what he’ll see. Doe eyes rimmed with kohl, dirty blond hair falling across them, stark against porcelain skin, and wide, full lips pulling across perfect teeth in a smile. There will be a faint birthmark tucked underneath the jaw, too, if he’s not mistaken, the only imperfection against the dark beauty of the Pirate King.

Yunho’s not disappointed.

Kim Jaejoong smiles back at him, thumbing Yunho’s cheek a moment, before crossing his arms, appraising Yunho up and down. “Well,” he says, “it’s taken me a very long time to find you. You hid yourself very well, Jung Yunho. I never would have suspected the man on the corner who sells the oranges.”

Oranges had been Yunho’s trade the last few years, certainly since Kim Jaejoong had come into power.

Yunho elects to remain silent.

He’s definitely on the sky pirate’s ship, noting the dark woods and confined space. Ornate decorations scatter the walls, draperies from all corners of the world covering the windows, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Kim Jaejoong grins.

“Do you know why I’ve been looking for you?”

Yunho does, but he’s very good at controlling his expressions and he keeps his face still.

“I suspect you do,” the pirate continues, rolling his neck a moment and adjusting his coat, turning up the fur collar to warm his neck. The birthmark disappears behind it. “Your hands, Yunho. You’ve got the Key to the glass ship in your hands. And I want it.”

“It’s not a ship for the likes of you,” Yunho says, voice scratchy. It hadn’t been built for thieves, for plunderers. It was for someone righteous, for someone that would pick up the pieces of their broken world and put it back together.

The pirate grins, walking around behind Yunho and resting his hands on Yunho’s shoulders. “But you don’t know that,” he whispers into Yunho’s ear, and the hands slide down to grab at Yunho’s, clutching them, “You have no idea who that ship is going to accept.”

“Not you,” Yunho spits out.

Kim Jaejoong chuckles and he’s so close, Yunho can feel the vibrations against his back. “Well, we’ll just have to see about that, won’t we? Take him downstairs, Yoochun. Maybe after he’s had a good night’s sleep we’ll talk again.”

 

—

 

When he wakes up in a bed and not in a cell, he is momentarily confused. His hands at his sides, he finds each wrist encircled with some type of magic that glows black. It allows him to stretch a bit so he’s comfortable and move his arms enough to see the silver marks on his palms but not much else, at least for now. He’s sure it’s the Sky Pirate’s magic.

Yunho thinks he’d prefer plain old handcuffs.

“You’re awake,” a voice says, and Yunho starts, because he hasn’t heard that voice in a very long time. Although, he could just be some sort of strange hallucinogen. Or more magic.

He turns his head, thinking _the pillow is so soft and the bed so comfortable and when was the last time I slept in a proper bed_ , and it’s funny that he’s more comfortable as a captive for one night than he has been free in many, many years.

“Changmin?”

Or someone that looks a hell of a lot like him.

“Hi, Yunho.”

Changmin had sold apples on the corner opposite Yunho’s for a few months before he had disappeared. Yunho had grown fond of him.

“You’re alive.”

Changmin has lost some weight, his face thinner, body leaner, but there are muscles straining against his clothing now that hadn’t been there a year ago. _Is he a pirate_? Yunho wonders, eyes skimming down, finally resting on a circles of green light entwined around each of his ankles.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Changmin asks, sounding slightly bitter, though his face doesn’t show it.

“They captured you?”

“Rather unfortunately,” Changmin sighs, pushing himself closer. He only gets within a few feet of the bed though, before the circles pulse once, tightening, and he stops. “They told me to watch you so if you make a break for it I have to stop you. Sorry.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Not yet.” _Not like this_. His body feels stiff and he stretches experimentally, wincing as his muscles complain, joints cracking. The black magic around his hand allows him room to push himself up into a sitting position and he notices he has rings around his ankles that are identical to Changmin’s save for their color.

“Are you hungry?” Changmin asks, “I can get you some food.”

His stomach rumbles in answer and he takes stock of the room once Changmin leaves, noting the lack of decoration in comparison to where he had been earlier. The wood is still a dark color, stained and marbling around knots, but the curtains and furniture are drab, the bed he lays on, while comfortable, not at all lush.

But the soup Changmin brings him is delicious, the rice cooked perfectly (or maybe Yunho is just really hungry) and the magic around his wrists gives him ample room to eat.

“How long have you been here?”

Changmin shrugs. “A year? Yoochun caught me one night outside a club. He was coming out with Junsu and he saw me sleeping under a bench and thought I could use a home. I was not impressed.” He wiggles his feet, as if to say _these are the consequences of me not accepting a pirate’s lifestyle_ , and Yunho nods.

He knows of Yoochun; few people do not. As Kim Jaejoong’s second-in-command, his face is well known, plastered all over wanted posters, grin smug. Yunho also knows Junsu, the conniving magician most likely responsible for Changmin’s bonds. Junsu’s prowess with magic is the reason Kim Jaejoong’s never been caught and probably never will be.

“Your hands,” Changmin says, “You really have the Key?”

Yunho had never told Changmin about himself when they had known each other. “Yes,” he says simply, seeing as there is not point in denying it anymore, not when the pirates already know. And having an ally is a good thing.

“Do you know how to use it?”

“No,” Yunho admits, “Honestly, I don’t know anything about it at all. Not even where the Glass Ship is. I don’t even have any of the relics.”

The relics are small pieces of the ship taken from it, imbued with magic and hidden around the world. Yunho’s not the Key to finding them, but they are the key to him. Once they are all put together, they form a small model of it and he will be able to guide himself (and whomever has him,) right to the ship and use his hands and the marks on them to do…well, he actually doesn’t know what. Open the ship, start it up…something. Everything. But he doesn’t even know where those pieces are.

Changmin’s silent, and when Yunho looks up at him, he’s smiling. “I guess that’s good, so long as they believe you. They at least won’t torture you for it.”

Only for fear of harming the Key, Yunho knows, a magical failsafe built in by one of his very smart ancestors: harm the carrier, harm the Key. Yunho’s never been more grateful. “There’s at least that,” he agrees, and goes back to his food, finishing it in a few bites. He can’t help but ask, “Do they have any of the relics?”

“A few,” Changmin admits, “But not all. At least that I know. I guess we’ll find out.” He scrambles to his feet, suddenly, as the magic glows green around his ankles, “Junsu wants me. I have to lock the door. Sorry.”

“It’s alright, I think I’ll just go back to sleep, anyway. Been awhile since I’ve had a bed.” A very long while, and to not utilize it would be a shame. He’s not going to be able to escape until he gains back his strength anyhow.

Changmin smiles, and as soon as he leaves, the magic binding Yunho’s hands relaxes and he finds he can curl up comfortably, even with it glowing beside his face and warming his wrists. It doesn’t take him long to fall back to sleep.

 

—

 

Yunho has a suspicion that he can break through the magic enclosing him. He’s not at all sure how, knowing next to nothing about magic, but the fact that the pirates keep him locked up despite him being completely controlled by the black circles around his hands and feet is more than suspicious.

The way he sees it, if they can command Changmin to do specific things with it, then they would also be able to do the same thing to Yunho, to the point that they should be able to keep the door wide open and prevent him from moving an inch towards it.

Yet they don’t, and the only explanation for that is that there is a way for Yunho to break free of the magic and the locked door is case that happens. He tests his bonds discreetly, unsure if perhaps the pirates can _feel_ what he’s doing with them, but so long as he doesn’t reach for anything sharp or potentially dangerous, he finds he can do as he pleases. He also can’t get too close to the window or the door, but it’s not as irritating as he thinks it might be. There isn’t anything outside the window except for sky anyway. He doesn’t think they’ve flown into a port since he’s been on board.

One night, after a few days of seeing only Changmin when he brings food, he wonders if the marks on his palms could do anything to counteract the magic. He’s a bit apprehensive to use the silver etchings in his skin (he’d never actually done it before, intent as he’d been on hiding,) but now he stares down at the swirls and circles and lines and does the only thing he can with them: make them glow. It’s anti-climatic, however, because no matter how long or how hard he presses them to the black circles of magic, nothing happens.

“That’s not how you do it,” a soft voice says from the doorway. “Changmin was right, you really don’t know how to use them.”

Kim Jaejoong’s leaning against the side of the doorway, a smile tugging one corner of his mouth. His gun is encased at his side but the light from outside is thrown through the diamonds on it, casting rainbows across the floor of Yunho’s dungeon-that-isn’t-all-that-scary.

“You’ll have to kill me to get those off,” the pirate offers helpfully.

“It was worth a try,” Yunho says, trying to keep his dignity as intact as he can. He refuses to be won over by the smile.

The pirate laughs. “Come on, Yunho. Where would you go if you broke free? We’re up in the air and we won’t be making port anytime soon. Well, a legal port, anyway.”

Yunho shrugs.

“Is this about the locked door? You’re welcome to roam around; I just wanted to keep you safe from the crew. The bonds will keep you from fighting so if they tried something you wouldn’t be able to fend them off.”

“What would they try?” Yunho scoffs.

“I’m sure you can use your imagination. We’re pirates, Jung Yunho, and I don’t let them off this ship very often.”

Yunho decides he’d rather not imagine it, and finds he’s quite happy to be locked inside a room. It sounds rather safe, especially if he can’t fight anyone off.

“I don’t mean to scare you. I only want my Key to be healthy.”

“I’m not yours.”

“I beg to differ,” the pirate says, with just a hint of steel to his voice, and Yunho looks at the floor. He supposes as long as his hands and feet are surrounded by magic, it’s true. It’s a collar, so far as the pirate seems to be concerned, and one that proclaims ownership.

“I would like to walk around,” Yunho says instead.

Kim Jaejoong smiles at him and beckons. “I’ll take you, but on one condition.”

Yunho quirks an eyebrow.

“You call me Jaejoong.”

It’s an odd request, because Yunho knows for a fact the pirate’s killed people for addressing him informally, but he nods. The less he has to think about what Jaejoong really is—what his captors are—the better. “Jaejoong,” he agrees, and follows the eccentric pirate king out.

Jaejoong’s ship is even more impressive than the tales would have everyone believe. Pristine for a vessel of it’s size, the black metal and contrasting wood winds into corridors, an elevator lifting them onto the main deck. It’s open air, and there are plenty of crewmen walking around the deck, saluting their captain when they catch site of him, sneering a bit when they see Yunho next to him. A few leer, though Yunho chooses not to think about that too hard.

The crew is large, one hundred at least, but they aren’t squished, the ship enormous enough to accommodate all of them comfortably and Yunho can see why serving aboard this vessel is an honor compared with other sky pirate ships.

But of course he is king, his word law among other pirates, and they walk along the deck for a total of ten minutes before Yoochun comes to get them, face hard.

A pirate had slit the throat of his captain and now Jaejoong has a verdict to deliver.

Cold rage leaks out of Jaejoong’s every pore as he observes the man in front of him, the dead captain’s second-in-command having constricted the murderer's movements with magic. It was a pale yellow, weak in comparison to Jaejoong’s black and barely noticeable when compared to Junsu’s green which is currently winding around the man’s hands, replacing the yellow with ease. Changmin is sitting at Junsu’s feet and looking far too interested in the proceedings, seeing as he’s there against his will. Yunho swallows down his irritation and for the sake of learning about his captors, follows Changmin’s lead, hunkering down as Jaejoong crosses his arms and eyes the man kneeling in front of him.

The man whimpers as Jaejoong leans in close to his face, whispering something into his ear that makes the man shake his head furiously.

“Wrong answer,” Jaejoong says, “but I’ll give you a second chance.” He pulls his diamond encrusted gun from his belt, un-clicks the safety and pushes it to the man’s temple. Yunho still can’t hear the question.

This time the man nods, sweat pouring off him as he eyes the gun and Jaejoong tucks it away, satisfied. “Shove him off,” he orders, slapping magic over the man’s mouth to keep him quiet.

Junsu drags the man by his hair, looking far too happy at the prospect of tipping him over board. “He’s not called the Grim Reaper for _fun_ ,” Changmin whispers when he gets a look at Yunho’s face. Yunho supposes not.

“Now,” Jaejoong says, approaching the second-in-command. “This leaves you in charge.”

There’s a scream, which means Junsu had taken the magic off the murderer’s mouth before flipping the man over the side of the ship and Jaejoong pauses, clearly making sure everyone can hear the sound fading as the man falls to his death. It’s easy to imagine the crunch of bones at the end.

“Is your crew going to be okay with the change in command? Should I send someone to your ship to oversee until it’s all been settled?” He casts an eye to some of the crew.

One of them steps forward, eyes downcast. “We would be proud if he took over as captain. Everyone will follow him.”

“It’s funny,” Jaejoong says, “that’s what I was told when your captain took control of that ship. And now he’s dead. So tell me how I’m supposed to believe you, or I’ll have Yoochun go aboard for awhile and he can interrogate all of you to be sure.”

Yunho is just barely able to suppress his shudder.

“Henry—the murderer,” the second-in-command said, clearing his throat, “We picked him up randomly at a port. We shouldn’t have but we needed an extra man because one of our engines broke. We were supposed to drop him back off after we were finished but he was a hard worker and—“

“I’m sorry,” Jaejoong interrupts, tilting the second-in-command’s face up with the tip of his gun. “Did you just say you allowed a person on board one of _my_ ships without running it by myself or Yoochun first?”

The second-in-commands swallows and it’s answer enough.

“Well, that would explain why I couldn’t recall his face.” He looks over at Yoochun in mock horror, “I thought I was losing my touch.”

Junsu, walking back towards them, cackles with laughter. Even _Changmin_ looks amused and Yunho wants to reach over and whack his head; his friend forgets himself.

“Ah, what to do,” Jaejoong muses, in a voice that means he knows exactly what course of action he’s planning on taking. “Changmin-ah,” he asks, “do you think I should listen to him?”

Changmin, to his testament, keeps his face straight and Yunho gets the feeling Jaejoong’s asked him these sorts of things before. “I think he’s lying.”

It’s clearly the answer Jaejoong had wanted and he smiles, perhaps a bit coolly. “Why do you think that?”

“Because lying is the only way he gains something in this situation.”

“And what is it that he gains?” Jaejoong asks, turning back around to face the second-in-command.

“Captaincy,” Changmin answers.

“Power,” Jaejoong corrects, starting to walk around the second-in-command. Looking closely, Yunho notices the man’s knees are shaking. “Power over a whole ship with a crew to command as he pleases and leniency from me because I would be thinking you’re all very upset over losing a beloved captain. I should just shoot you,” he whispers, resting the barrel of the gun against the man’s temple. “But you know, we’re pirates. We lie, we cheat, and we manipulate people for a living. So I’ll give you a chance. Tell me the truth, and maybe I’ll let you have what you want anyway.”

Yunho’s sure that either way the man is dead.

“He,” the second-in-commands starts, with a sort of sigh, “He was the captain’s lover.”

“Ah,” Jaejoong says, “Now we’re getting somewhere. A lover’s spat. Do tell me more.”

Yunho has half a mind to pipe in and demand Jaejoong just let everyone go because he _already killed one person_ , but the black magic is glowing on his hands and feet and keeping him from doing anything but sit on the deck and watch, frozen. He wants to retch.

“So,” Jaejoong surmises, once the second-in-command is done his explanation, “The captain cheated on his lover with you and the lover slit the captain’s throat in revenge and because you’re a good mistress—excuse me, a good _master_ —you bring him here for me to kill instead of having to do it yourself.”

The second-in-command nods, though his face is suddenly quite pale.

Yoochun snorts and half the crew standing behind the second-in-command jump. It makes Junsu cackle again and Yunho is sure that Junsu is at least partly insane.

“You’re such a liar,” Jaejoong says, sounding so kind that the actual words don’t register until whatever blood is left in the second-in-command’s face has drained, probably pooling in his stomach and giving him nausea. “Your first story was better,” Jaejoong says, “Don’t you think so, Changmin?”

“Yes,” Changmin says, automatically.

“Unfortunately for you, Junsu can tell when people are lying. Not one word you’ve said has been true. Not even you,” Jaejoong says, looking at the crew member that had professed willingness to follow the second-in-command as captain.

“So would anyone like to volunteer the actual story or do I need to start shooting people, because either way, I’ll be happy.”

It’s no surprise when initially, no one speaks up. “I’m sorry,” Jaejoong drawls, “maybe I was unclear. Talk now or I will shoot you all.” He fires a bullet at the feet of the crew, face set, and a crew member hiding the back is the first to come forward.

“I’ll,” he says, shooting uneasy glances at the second-in-command, “I’ll tell you.”

“Finally someone that values their life,” Yoochun comments idly, picking at a piece of lint on his shirt, “I was beginning to worry.”

“Captain—our Cap found something.”

“Did he, now,” Jaejoong says. “Something expensive?”

“I—I’m not sure of its worth. But it was—important.”

“And why is that?”

“It was a relic.”

“A relic. Do you know what the relic was?”

The man glances a bit fearfully at the second-in-command. The blood in his face is back, the apples of his cheeks turning red and his jaw flexing angrily.

“Ah,” Jaejoong says, “A simple yes or no will suffice.”

“I—I think so,” the man says.

“Why don’t you whisper it into my ear,” Jaejoong suggests, leaning in close.

Yunho watches, suddenly feeling very ill as Jaejoong listens intently, a spark lighting in his eye. The only relics Yunho’s ever heard of pertain to the Glass Ship, as well as himself, and when Jaejoong’s gaze comes to rest on him, the magic encircling him warms. It’s all the confirmation he needs.

“Junsu, please fetch the man back.”

There’s no time to wonder at the words because a second later the man Junsu had thrown over the ship a few minutes ago—Henry, Yunho corrects in his mind—reappears, green magic wrapped around his body in cords and could Yunho open his mouth, he would have shouted along with the rest of the crew in surprise. _But I heard him scream all the way down_ , Yunho wonders faintly.

Jaejoong is watching indifferently as the green slides off the murderer (or was he not a murder?) and up the legs of the second-in-command. “Let me give you a piece of advice. You may lie to everyone you come across: a preacher, your mother, or even a child, but you do not lie to me. Lying to me gets you killed faster than it would slitting your captain’s throat.”

Yunho throws a look at Changmin, but his friend is steadfastly looking ahead, expression blank as the second-in-command is slowly dragged towards the edge of the ship, incredulousness growing by the second. The green threads wrap around his mouth just as he opens it (to object, to scream?) and Junsu’s laugh sends chills down Yunho’s spine.

The crew in front of Jaejoong take a collective, horrified step backwards, some of them tripping over their own feet and sprawling out onto the deck.

“Because that’s what you did, isn’t it?”

Jaejoong walks over to Henry the murderer (former murderer? Yunho is very confused,) and helps him to his feet, patting down his clothes and conjuring a chair out of no where, helping the man sit down in it. “That’s it, nice and easy. I do apologize for the scare.”

Henry’s hands shake as Jaejoong gathers them in his own, gun holstered. With Jaejoong’s own magic, never mind Junsu’s, Yunho is now sure the pirate king doesn’t need an actual weapon.

Jaejoong cups the man’s cheek affectionately, smiling. “We were just getting to an interesting little part in the story about a relic. I don’t suppose you can tell me where it is?”

Henry swallows, directing his gaze at the second-in-command. “In his pocket.”

The green magic swirls, rifling through the clothing of the man it imprisons for a moment before flinging something clear and sparkly out of one, Junsu catching it deftly with a maniacal grin. He examines the long crystal before nodding at Jaejoong once.

The captain goes back to the crew member, still quaking in his boots. “The fate of this entire crew now rests on your shoulders. But I only ask for truth, so don’t worry too much.”

It looks like the truth is the last thing the crew member wants to utter, especially when Jaejoong tosses an arm around his shoulder. Yunho can see Jaejoong’s breath fogging the gold earring looped through the man’s ear lobe. “Would you please point to the man that killed your captain?”

The magic is too tightly wrapped around the second-in-command for him to do anything but glare as the crew member raises a hand to accuse him. Henry looks very relieved he isn’t being accused a second time.

“And tell me,” Jaejoong continues, “Why did he do that?”

“He wanted the relic for himself.”

“Thank you,” Jaejoong points his gun at the second-in-command’s forehead. “I keep you safe,” he says, “I get you out of prison if you’re stupid enough to be caught, I shelter you if you want it. I am your king and all I ask is that you obey my rules. And that you do not lie to me. I explicitly remember you swearing an oath to do exactly that, and unfortunately breaking it has consequences” He turns his head, looking at Junsu. “Get this bastard off my ship.”

There’s no time for him to scream, even if Junsu had permitted it. In a matter of moments, the second-in-command’s gone overboard and the quickness with which it is done, the ferocity, leaves no question as to its finality. There’s no coming back from that. Yunho feels sick.

“The rest of you are no longer under my protection. Yoochun will shuttle you back down to a port. I hope I never see you again. Except for you,” Jaejoong says, crouching down next to Henry, whom he had fake killed. “You interest me.”

“But I _told_ you—“ the crew member begins, clearly petrified at having lost Jaejoong’s protection, whatever that means.

“And you still have your life,” Jaejoong says, “I believe that’s worth something, is it not?”

The crew member swallows.

A hand rests on Yunho’s shoulder and he looks up, fighting against the twisting of his stomach as Junsu looks down at him. “Come on. You’ll have to tour the ship another day.”

Yunho follows him, the magic on his feet urging him forwards and as it warms against his skin, he looks back, shuddering under the gaze of a frightful pair of dark eyes.


	2. Two

There are five relics that make up the guide to the Glass Ship. Jaejoong has now collected three of them and they glitter in the candle light, pieces of a puzzle Yunho now has to solve. The last time he’d been in this room, he’d been drugged and bound tight, but now his hands are free, only his ankles bound, and the pieces of glass are mocking him. He doesn’t want to do it. He would like to sit in the chair and refuse to help. But as he moves his hands near the glass, the marks on his skin warm, glowing silver, and he feels drawn to them.

He’s _curious_ , about where it is and what it actually does. What can it accomplish? He can’t worry about it being in Jaejoong’s grasp until he knows that, and he’s never been one for senseless worrying.

Carefully he picks up the piece Jaejoong had just recently acquired. It’s as long as Yunho’s hand with a thickness of two of his fingers, and a blurry reflection of himself stares back at him. He looks exhausted, probably the worst he’s ever been in his life, despite having been sleeping in a very comfortable bed.

Jaejoong had told him that the pieces fit together, creating a small model of the ship that provides a compass to point the way, but from the looks of things, the pieces aren’t going to fit unless they have all of them.

Yunho rests the glass against his glowing palms anyway, a little surprised when it reacts, buzzing with a hum and throwing light against the walls. A moment later it hovers over his skin, revolving slowly and Changmin’s almost instantly at his elbow. “Whoa,” he says, “that is something they’ve never done before.”

“Jaejoong shows you these things, does he?” Yunho asks snidely.

“I have my ways,” Changmin says, and Yunho suspects that he does indeed. “They’ll want to see this.”

As if on cue, Jaejoong strolls through the door, Changmin barely scrambling to get out of his way. “Oh my,” Jaejoong breathes, leaning over Yunho’s arm to peer at the spinning glass. He reaches out, tapping it with the tip of his finger, and the glass wobbles a bit before righting itself, as if its center of gravity is Yunho’s palm. “ _Oh_ ,” Jaejoong breathes again, delighted, and Yunho swallows against the warmth creeping down his neck and wonders if Jaejoong is breathing magic. Because that’s the feeling of it: tingles stretching down his heated skin and into his fingers and toes. It makes his palms glow brighter and he wishes he could explain why.

“Try the others,” Jaejoong prompts.

The results are the same, and the captain seems happy, even if between the three of them, they spend another, fruitless half hour trying to fit the three pieces together while they float. “We just need the others,” Jaejoong says, “Thankfully, I have a few leads. Come with me Changmin, I’ll need your help. Then you can find some decent clothes for Yunho.”

“What for?” Yunho asks, looking down at his perfectly acceptable robes, plain as they may be.

“For going into Port,” Jaejoong says, with a winning smile, “No way will I allow you to walk around in _that_.”

—

It could be worse. 

Yunho has gloves and boots to hide Jaejoong’s magic, a cloak securely around his shoulders and Jaejoong’s arm wrapped snugly around his middle. “I swear to god,” Junsu says, “you try anything funny and you’re dead.”

“He’s not going to do that,” Jaejoong murmurs, glancing up at Yunho with a smile that warms the pit of Yunho’s stomach and makes him think _Jaejoong even has magic coming out of his eyes_.

“I’m not stupid,” Yunho murmurs, feeling himself blush. Even at a port, there’s nothing he can do to get away from them.

Yoochun has a hold of Changmin’s hand, still free of magic, but Yunho knows his ankles are still encased in it, even though they aren’t visible. Changmin doesn’t look at all perturbed by it, and in fact seems to be perfectly fine with Yoochun’s fingers around his and Junsu’s hand brushing over his shoulder every so often. Changmin’s probably gotten used to them.

Henry accompanies them also and Jaejoong had apparently told him he knows exactly where Henry’ll be safe for awhile, away from the crew Jaejoong had cast form his favor. Though even standing next to Jaejoong with a loaded gun for protection, Henry’s wringing his hands and biting into his bottom lip. 

The Port is clearly one that belongs to Jaejoong, a dive for Sky Pirates carved into ledges of rock, following a river cutting into the mainland. Bridges and ships cross between each side, people making good use of them, even as Jaejoong’s ship glides over them to dock, steam hissing down all the way to the water below.

The bay they land in is one that is reserved for Jaejoong, his name and title in gold lettering above the entrance. Yunho’s no longer surprised by the gaudiness of it, and as they exit the ship, boots heavy on the ramp, they’re immediately greeted by attendants bent at the waist. Jaejoong ignores them, letting Yoochun dictate the supplies they need as they walk, and a moment later they’re alone again.

The captain’s arm has not left his side, even in the relative silence of the corridor that connects the docking bay to the skyport, and Yunho swallows down his pride, ducking to clear a bulkhead as they spill onto the street. The sun feels good on his skin, warms him even though Jaejoong’s doing a fine job of just that. Damn magic.

“This way,” the captain says cheerily, leading them up the street carved from rock, waving as the vendors yell to him excitedly, some of the children running up and giving him flowers, little pieces of meat to try, all for free.

_They love him_ , Yunho realizes, a little flabbergasted.

“I protect them,” Jaejoong says, like he can read Yunho’s mind, “I keep them safe and give them room to breathe and be free—away from the government. They appreciate that and like to show their gratitude.”

He laughs as he sticks one of the flowers behind Yunho’s ear, a mischievous twinkle in his eye and Yunho frowns when he finds he can’t move his arm to get rid of it. “You look dashing,” Yoochun teases, from where he still has a hold on Changmin’s hand. “I wonder…” He nearly gets his fingers bitten off when he tries to do the same thing to Changmin, and the daisy fall to the ground, forgotten underneath the sound of the city and Junsu’s cackling. Even Henry laughs.

“This is my favorite hideout,” Jaejoong tells Yunho, “and there’s no one I trust to run it other than Heechul. You’ll get along well,” he throws back at Henry, “…eventually.”

They take a sky taxi after walking for a good fifteen minutes, their pilot refusing payment the moment he sees Jaejoong; Yunho very nearly loses his jaw from gaping when Jaejoong asks (accurately) after each member of the pilot’s family, all the way down to their new puppy they had purchased a week ago.

Henry pokes him in the side. “Does he know _everyone_?”

Yunho can only shrug.

The pilot flies them for awhile, and as they go further into the rock crevice, the buildings get more expensive, more luxurious, before he steers them down a crack that houses one of the most intricately carved buildings Yunho’s ever seen.

“Heechul and Siwon run my more upscale establishments,” Jaejoong tells them.

He tries to pay the driver again, but in the end, turns to Yoochun as the pilot flies away. “Make a note to send him something expensive.”

“I already did. He and his family will have a feast the next few days.”

Jaejoong nods approvingly, patting Yoochun’s shoulder before latching back onto Yunho, leading them up to the front gates and through the door. No announcement necessary, apparently, though word has clearly traveled ahead because someone is waiting for them, a wide grin stretching his face and flaming red hair tied up in a bun that Yunho isn’t going to forget anytime soon.

“About fucking time you visited.”

The man sweeps down a flight of stairs, wraps a thin hand around the back of Jaejoong’s neck, and crushes their mouths together. A hot little flame wells up in Yunho’s stomach and he thinks _what the fuck is Jaejoong using magic on me for it’s not like I’m going to care_ but then Jaejoong pulls away, a smirk on his face as he says, “your boyfriend’s going to get jealous, Heechul.” The flame disappears.

“Which one?” Heechul scoffs, and then walks over to Changmin, grinning. “You’re still around, I see. How’s—“

“Fuck off,” Changmin says, and to his credit, doesn’t even flinch when Junsu yanks his ear hard, bending him over to bow.

“Guess that answers my question,” Heechul says. His grin is still wide. “Where’s the new kid?”

Henry can’t look at him, doesn’t, until Heechul raises Henry’s chin with a finger. “You don’t have to be scared of me. Besides, I think Siwon will take you under his wing before I have a chance.”

“Siwon will love him,” Jaejoong agrees.

Heechul beckons. “I have food if your hungry. And then I have something to tell you, Jaejoong, that I think you’ll like quite a bit.”

— 

When Heechul sees the marks on Yunho’s palms, it’s suddenly like he’s Yunho’s best friend, pouring him extra wine, giving him an extra slice of meat. Yunho refuses to acknowledge the gestures, even if he does eat them.

“You should come with me too,” Heechul invites, “I think you’ll like what I have to say.”

They leave the rest of them at the table, Yoochun trying to keep Junsu from punching Changmin in face for stealing some of his food, and Henry a little tipsy from the wine. “Siwon’ll be home soon,” Heechul assures them, “it’ll be fine.”

“What did you find for me?” Jaejoong asks, as Heechul leads them down a carpeted corridor, the color of the rug a deep red that clashes with his hair, even with the light thrown through the chandeliers and bouncing around the room.

“Not here,” Heechul says. 

They chat idly as they walk, a little about business a little about Henry, nodding at the staff that bow as they pass and the guests that recognize at least one of them. Yunho gets a few looks, even though the magic around his hands has been gone since they got here, and he does his best to shrug it off, trying to look as though he belongs with the other two. He sort of likes it when a few people catch him staring at them and they lower their eyes like he’s above them—like he deserves some sort of respect. He tries not to hate himself for it.

“So what did you find?” Jaejoong presses, once they’ve shut themselves in a very secluded room that looks terribly familiar. Either Jaejoong picked up his decorating habits from Heechul or it’d been the other way around. 

“I didn’t find anything,” Heechul says, “I just heard something. About a relic.”

“Tell me,” Jaejoong invites, pushing Yunho down onto a couch and then following him. It takes Yunho a moment to realize he’s put his arm around Jaejoong of his own accord, and not because Jaejoong’s magic makes him. He tries to pull it away but Jaejoong stops him, sliding back against him comfortably and holding him still with magic, for just a moment. An order. _Stay_. Stay of his own accord or Jaejoong will make him.

“So well behaved,” Heechul comments, as Yunho relaxes, not interested in Jaejoong or his magic making Yunho any warmer than he already is, save for heated press of Jaejoong’s knee to Yunho’s thigh as the captain tucks his feet up underneath him.

“Agreeable,” Jaejoong corrects, smiling.

“Siwon took me to the Falls last week. Just for a few days.”

“How romantic,” Jaejoong quips.

“It was,” Heechul says, frowning, “but that’s not the point. We were eating at one of the restaurants—one of the ones at the top of city—and I happened to catch sight of something they had hanging from the ceiling.”

“A crystal,” Jaejoong murmurs, eyes sparking.

“It was beautiful,” Heechul says, “and although I do not have your practiced eye in terms of relics, I don’t think there’s anything else it could be. Siwon agrees.”

“As expected of Kim Heechul—you never miss a trick.”

“No,” Heechul says, “but Jaejoong. That captain you cut loose a few months ago…he was there. He owns the restaurant.”

Yunho has no idea who Heechul means, but Jaejoong’s face sours a moment. “Well, that complicates things.”

“Will you be alright? I can come if you want, or give you extra men.”

“There’s no need for that. We’ll get there just fine and retrieve the relic too.”

“You really just want to kick his ass again.”

“Damn straight,” Jaejoong says, crossing his arms.

“Let’s not let him ruin the evening,” Heechul suggests, “Yunho, tell me about yourself. I want to know _everything_.”

 

— 

 

Yunho does not get his own room. He had hoped for it, thinking if the beds on the ship were comfortable than _damn_ the beds in the hotel must be heavenly, and he wanted a whole one, all to himself. But apparently, he is still seen as a liability (okay, he supposes he is,) and Jaejoong has a devious grin as he informs Yunho that actually, they’ll be sharing a room. 

Changmin gives him a little shrug when Yunho tries to look to him for help, and he follows Changmin’s gaze to Yoochun and Junsu as if to say, “I’m stuck with them, so you’re on your own for this one.”

_Right,_ Yunho thinks, he’d forgotten. Changmin, for all that he fits in with the pirates, is captive, too. He has no idea what Changmin faces when he’s alone with Yoochun and Junsu, no idea at all.

“We’ll share the bed just fine,” Jaejoong tells Heechul, Yunho trailing behind them at a loss for words. He’s sure the more he speaks up about it, the more terrible it will be. Jaejoong’s very creative.

But as it turns out, Yunho doesn’t have to worry. The bed is very warm, the covers soft, and no matter which way he smashes his face into the pillow, it’s comfortable. Jaejoong doesn’t lay down, crossing his legs underneath him at a desk, quill in hand and Yunho falls asleep to sound of it scratching across parchment, the firelight flickering against the perfect porcelain of Jaejoong’s skin. 

The captain isn’t there when Yunho wakes feeling better than he has in months, years even, despite the little edge of nausea flickering in his belly. He probably just needs to eat something and have a warm cup of tea. After being on a ship for so long, solid ground is actually a little disconcerting now that he’s had time to rest. It’s the only explanation for his dizziness that he can find. 

The magic around his ankles lets him take a shower, the water hot and crystal clear, the black color guiding him towards clothes in the armoire and down the hall. Changmin’s at the table eating breakfast and he waves; Yunho’s eyes flick to the mark on his neck. There’s no way it’s anything but a hickey and he opens his mouth to ask about it but Junsu enters the room just behind Yunho and rests a hand on Changmin’s skin, covering the mark. Jaejoong is right behind him and Yunho feels fingers trace down his neck and Jaejoong’s breath warm his skin as he whispers, “What? Do you want one like it?”

Yunho grabs a bowl of rice and chopsticks, the first sticky glob nearly getting stuck in his throat. “No, thank you.”

“Are you sure?” Junsu asks, fingers moving against Changmin’s neck, “you feel like you really want it.”

“Not from Jaejoong,” Yunho says, as Jaejoong laughs into his skin, lips grazing it as he raises his head. “No offense.” He hopes that his voice sounds less squeaky to the rest of them than it does to him. He grabs at a cup of tea, desperate to soothe his throat.

“None taken,” Jaejoong assures him, hand lingering a moment more on Yunho’s shoulder, “though if you change your mind let me know.”

_Oh god_ , Yunho thinks, _he wants to kiss me_. Kissing and probably other things that come along with it. _Wait. Does that mean Changmin’s mark is from…_ Yunho looks over again, noting the way Junsu’s fingers curl against Changmin’s shoulder. Maybe it does. Yunho decides not to wonder. If the curiosity threatens to kill him, Yunho can just ask Changmin about it later. Privately. 

His neck is still warm where Jaejoong had breathed over it, even as the captain sits down next to Yunho, reaching for a rice bowl of his own. “Did you at least sleep well?”

“Yes,” Yunho admits, not sure if his immediate reply is because of the magic or because that’s what Yunho wants himself. “Did you even sleep at all?”

“Not really,” Jaejoong says, “but I’m used to it.”

“Jaejoong,” Junsu cautions, hand still on Changmin’s neck. He’d begun to massage it, making Changmin’s eyes roll into the back of his head.

“Don’t make Yoochun jealous. That’s his pet you’re touching.”

“Not a pet,” Changmin murmurs, but the way he pushes back against Junsu’s fingers and makes contended noises in his throat suggests something entirely different to Yunho. 

He’s suddenly not very hungry, the images flashing in front of his eyes damning. “I’m going to go lay back down.”

“You barely ate anything,” Jaejoong frowns.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

“Really,” Yunho tries to insist, but makes the mistake of looking at Jaejoong. 

“Sit and finish eating or I’ll make you. My Key needs to be healthy.”

Yunho nods.

“That’s ‘aye, Captain,’ to you,” Junsu says. His fingers were in Changmin’s hair now, rubbing his scalp as Changmin sucks in a noodle.

“‘Aye, Captain,” Yunho says automatically, finding his chopsticks. He wonders if the heat in his cheeks is Jaejoong’s magic or Yunho’s own inability to control his emotions. He hopes it’s magic.

“He’s so obedient.” Heechul enters the room next, hair tied up, arm resting against the table as he leans forward. “I want one.”

“Get your own,” Jaejoong grouses, “Yunho is mine.”

_I don’t belong to anyone but myself,_ Yunho thinks, wanting to scream it at all of them, but instead he shoves more rice into his mouth, glowering as his stomach roils in anguish, heat unbearable.

He stumbles away from the table when Jaejoong finally allows him to leave, takes two steps before his vision swims and he lands on his knees. He feels every muscle in his torso spasm as his breakfast comes back up through his mouth and the last thing he sees is Jaejoong’s panicked face fading into black.

He comes to with something warm pressed to side. It’s a different type of warm. Not a magic warm, but just…the comfortable presence of another human body that doesn’t make him want to recoil. Not even when he opens his eyes to see that it’s Jaejoong snuggled up against his arm. 

Jaejoong asleep is a lot less threatening than Jaejoong awake, and Yunho swallows a bit, trying to shift without disturbing the captain.

It’s then that he notices the magic is gone from his hands. Yunho stares for a moment before carefully sliding a leg out from under the sheet and finding himself a little surprised that there’s no magic on his ankles either.

“It was making you sick.”

Jaejoong’s breath is warm (a comfortable, non-magic warm,) against his neck and Yunho freezes.

“I’m sorry about that. Siwon says your markings are a different sort of magic than mine…and while you can’t manipulate yours much, my magic interferes with them and is what made you sick. I’m sorry.”

Yunho decides to go for humor because the only acceptable alternative is to curl into Jaejoong and go back to sleep. “That you’re not actually all knowing makes me feel so much better.”

“You’re not allowed to run off,” Jaejoong tells him, “I need you, Yunho, and just because I don’t have my magic on you, it doesn’t mean you’re free to leave.”

Truth be told, ever since the crystal had floated above his hand, Yunho’s curiosity about the Glass Ship has been growing in exponential amounts. He _is_ the key, there’s no denying that, and if he can figure out where the ship is and how to use it, then he has a better chance of stealing it away from Jaejoong and giving it to a better person. A moral person.

And it will be much easier to do that without Jaejoong’s magic keeping him imprisoned.

“I won’t run off,” Yunho promises, “I will go with you to the ship. But I have one condition for my good behavior.”

“You don’t get conditions,” Jaejoong says, shifting back a little, “Your reward is not having magic on you that will make you constantly ill.”

It’s a little weird that they’re having this conversation in bed, but Yunho knows it’s only until he agrees to behave. Jaejoong doesn’t want to let him out of his grasp. He doesn’t want Yunho to flee.

“I just don’t want to be stuck in a room.”

Jaejoong raises an eyebrow.

“I want to _do_ something, Jaejoong, even if it’s just reading up on the Glass Ship and my markings and what it all means. I don’t know anything and you clearly do. You must have learned from somewhere.”

“Hearsay,” Jaejoong says carefully, “legends and tales.”

“You found me,” Yunho points out.

“Yes, but…that’s different,” Jaejoong dismisses, a flash in his gaze that means Yunho isn’t to question further along that line thought. “I will give you freedom to roam my ship as you please. You break your promise and you’ll regret it.”

“You have my word,” Yunho swears.

“You will also stay in my quarters instead of having your own.”

Yunho thinks he should have expected that. He doesn’t mind as much as he would have imagined. In fact a little part of him (perhaps the part that finds Jaejoong’s face not as scary when tucked in close under the covers of a fancy bed,) likes it.

“Deal,” he agrees. 

Jaejoong’s smile warms his face and Yunho swallows, realizing that maybe all the warmth Jaejoong exudes isn’t magic after all.


	3. Three

Their first encounter with the Watchmen lasts approximately five minutes. One second, Yunho is sitting happily on the deck, ecstatic to have sunshine and the wind in his face and the next, alarms are screeching and Jaejoong hauls him to the bridge as he barks orders left and right. Junsu’s at the bow of the ship, magic pouring out from him as he grins at the oncoming Watchmen frigate and then the next Jaejoong’s guns blast three times, Junsu’s magic following the molten hot fireballs and slicing through the launched fighter craft like tissue paper. 

When it ends, Yunho’s left with a pounding heart and Jaejoong complaining about the smell of smoke. 

_Not to be trifled with_ , the rumors had said, _vicious, uncaring, lethal. There’s a reason he’s got a dead or alive warrant in every single Watchmen-ruled city_. Yunho now believes them. Who can fight against an enemy that can destroy a ship twice it’s size in less than ten minutes? _The glass ship could_ , he thinks automatically, but they have to find it first and Yunho has to get it away from Jaejoong. It isn’t going to be easy.

He hides in Jaejoong’s cabin the rest of the day, shoveling down the food the captain brings him, a knowing smile on his face full of pity Yunho tries very hard to ignore. He feels sick, curling up in Jaejoong’s bed and not thinking about the downed Watchmen ship and that he’s on a Pirate vessel being forced to help the ruthless captain find a ship that will make him unstoppable. Well, more than he already is.

He gets so wound up after a few hours that he finally decides to get some air, hoping it might help.

Yunho grabs a sweater on his way out the door, aware of the cool air sliding across his skin as they sail through the sky. He rubs his arms briskly for a moment as he adapts. He should have taken a scarf. Sighing, he trudges across the open deck, ignoring any of the crew he sees and not caring what the think of that. They have a precarious balance, as technically Yunho’s not a part of them (and so perhaps beneath them,) but yet Yunho is under Jaejoong’s protection and any animosity towards him will probably result in their heads.

So he and the crew ignore one another for the most part, and honestly Yunho’s glad of it. One less thing to cause him concern. 

They’re out over a lake tonight, the tips of a mountain range visible on the horizon as they sail lazily towards them and Yunho can stand to be out, looking down at the clouds for only a little while before he starts to shiver. He needs a warmer coat and wonders how to ask Jaejoong for one.

_Changmin_ , he thinks a moment later, and goes in search of him, heading down to Junsu’s quarters and opening the door to it, thinking his idea is a grand one.

It is not.

Changmin has Junsu pinned down on the bed, both of them naked save for Changmin’s pants that Junsu is frantically trying to yank off Changmin’s hips, hands disappearing down into them when he fails and—Yunho’s not sure what Junsu’s hands are doing. But Junsu and Changmin are kissing, Changmin’s mouth pressing against Junsu’s jaw and pulling at the skin all the way up to his ear and he’s whispering, hissing something that makes Junsu start pleading, whimpering anything he can think of and _dear gods above_ Yunho stops breathing. Another hand reaches across the small of Changmin’s back and _shit_ it’s Yoochun, pulling Changmin to him, sandwiching him between himself and Junsu. Junsu, who wastes no time in pulling Changmin’s pants off now that he’s not pinned down. Junsu, who while rearranging himself to get a hand between Changmin’s legs catches sight of Yunho in the doorway.

“Yunho,” the magician croons, magic spilling from his lips.

In that moment as Changmin and Yoochun break their kiss to stare at him and Junsu stands up, hand outstretched with Changmin’s precome dripping off of one finger, Yunho realizes that no where on Changmin’s body is there any green, any _magic_.

“You little fucker,” Yunho breathes, stumbling back a step.

“Yunho,” Changmin trips over a blanket as he tries to stand up.

“Yunho, wait,” Yoochun starts.

But Yunho’s finally got a hold on his mind and runs, wheels in his brain near spinning out of control as he bolts for Jaejoong’s room, no longer interested in getting a thicker coat. He’s a lot warmer than he had been a moment ago.

Changmin doesn’t have his magic bonds.

This could mean a few things. He had demanded to be let go since Yunho is no longer wearing them and it’s only fair. But that doesn’t explain why he’d been making out (doing things) with _both_ Yoochun and Junsu, of his own free will. He’d overpowered Junsu, clung to him, kissed him, and there is no magic to give Changmin the excuse of him being controlled or threatened or blackmailed.

Yunho slams Jaejoong’s door shut, happy the captain isn’t back yet, and slides down onto his butt, leaning against the wood and breathing hard. There’s only one logical conclusion.

Changmin’s been lying to him. Changmin’s most likely a pirate. Maybe he’s always been one.

Yunho wants punch something.

His muscles ache as he pushes himself back up to his feet, wishes he could lock the door (fearful still of Jaejoong’s promise to string him up outside for the crew if he ever tries it,) and tosses the sweater onto a chair. The bed is warm, thankfully, and he takes a deep breath as he tries to clear his head, clear the emotions from his heart, and squeezes a pillow.

It’s only moments before someone knocks and the door squeaks, Junsu calling his name softly.

Yunho thinks that’s better than Changmin. If Changmin had walked in Yunho would have socked him in the jaw, or maybe his stomach. Or maybe both. Hard.

“Yunho,” Junsu says, against the sound of the door thudding into the doorframe. 

“Go the fuck away.”

Yunho feels the magic; it’s so powerful it raises goosebumps on his arms. “If you don’t turn around to look at me I will make you, no matter if it makes you throw up or not.”

He would, Yunho knows Junsu would. And he’s so much more powerful than Jaejoong it probably won’t take several days for his system to get agitated by it. 

Yunho turns, but he keeps himself tucked under the blankets. Junsu’s sitting in a chair, dressed, thank the gods, green magic spilling out of him (perhaps unconsciously,) and only stopping when Yunho looks him in the eye.

“Better,” Junsu nods, swiping hair from his face. The back of his neck is wet with sweat.

“I don’t want to to talk to you.”

“Well, it’s me or Changmin. Which one would you prefer?”

Yunho remains silent.

“That’s what I thought.” Junsu leans his elbows on his knees, hands folded in front of him. “Look, we’re sorry you had to find out like this. We were going to tell you, eventually, but not until later.”

“What is he?”

Junsu raises an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t want to talk.”

Yunho frowns. “What is Changmin?”

“Changmin’s one of us,” Junsu says, “Changmin’s always been one of us. Jaejoong suspected you were the Key years ago and Changmin planted himself on your corner to do reconnaissance. It was Changmin that confirmed who you were.”

“And so what? You pretended he’d been captured and kept your magic on him to fool me? What was the point?”

“You’re angry,” Junsu says, sultry smile back on his face, “anger is good.”

“Anger is not good,” Yunho shouts, throwing back the covers and standing, pointing a finger in Junsu’s face. “I. You. Changmin _lied_.”

“Changmin’s a _pirate_ ,” Junsu throws back, undeterred by the level of Yunho’s voice. “This is what we do, Jung Yunho. We manipulate people to get what we want. We lie to them. We make them believe things.”

“But Changmin’s not—he _wouldn’t_ —“

“He did,” Junsu says, “In fact it was his idea. I don’t force him into anything, none of us do. The only times I have him tied up in magic is to fool people. Or if we’re in bed. And he wants that.” He grins, perhaps unconsciously licking his lips, and Yunho suddenly feels a lot like crying.

“He’s a pirate.”

“He’s Jaejoong’s second in command. The crew fear him more than they do Jaejoong.”

“But Yoochun—“

“Yoochun’s our lover. Yoochun pretends to be second in command when Changmin’s off playing spy. Changmin owes him his life since everyone’s too afraid to go after Jaejoong and so they try to get to him by harming the second in command. ”

“What are you telling me? That because Changmin feels indebted to Yoochun they’re fucking? With you in the middle? I don’t care about that, Junsu. I care that he lied to me. That my friend lied to me!”

The magician stands up, eyes sparkling, magic swirling green around his arms like a coat. “What makes you think he was ever your friend?”

Something about the way Junsu grins at him, like he finds it funny, like Yunho is supposed to just laugh and say, “you’re right, how silly of me, I can’t believe I trusted him,” is the final straw. 

“Get out,” he whispers, and then when Junsu doesn’t listen, Yunho screams. “Get out!”

“Junsu,” a voice murmurs from the door, and Yunho glances over to see Jaejoong, arms folded across his chest, face gentle, “go make sure Changmin is alright.”

“Why the fuck wouldn’t he be okay?” Yunho demands, “He’s the one that lied to me, that made me think—that—“

He swallows, suddenly aware of the tears stinging his eyes. He’s so stupid.

“Junsu,” Jaejoong prompts, voice softer than Yunho’s ever heard it.

Yunho throws himself back on the bed, suddenly feeling sick again, and he shudders underneath the hand that settles against his neck, rubbing briefly before sliding down his spine. He hears the door shut and feels better with Junsu gone, curls up tighter as Jaejoong lays next to him, nose tucked into Yunho’s neck.

“Junsu shouldn’t have said those things, I’m sorry. Usually he’s kind and sweet but…sometimes the magic makes him go crazy. He puts so much of himself into it that the emptiness it leaves behind makes him a different person.”

“I don’t care.”

“You do,” Jaejoong corrects, “because if you didn’t you wouldn’t be so upset.”

Yunho squeezes his eyes shut, trying not to think of how calming Jaejoong’s fingers are as they brush up his arms or the warmth that results from him pressing up against Yunho’s back. Yunho convinces himself that someone is making him turn around and that he isn’t letting Jaejoong wrap arms around him and pat his back of his own will. “Oh, Yunho. You’re such a big softie.”

He isn’t really. But he’s been through a lot. He’s lived in fear his entire life—lived on his own since he was sixteen, starved, been beaten, whored himself out for a few coins so he could afford a meal, and he’s always been overlooked. No one’s ever cared for him—no one except Changmin. And he tells Jaejoong this, sobbing as he talks about _Changmin_ , the first person to ever see him as an equal, to treat him like a friend, to want to hang out with him for the sake of just being together and not because he wanted something in return.

And now he finds out that actually, it’s all planned and really Changmin had wanted the one thing Yunho had been hiding his whole life, the one thing about himself that actually he _can’t stand_. Because of it, he can’t have a normal life, and he hates that. Hates everything, actually, no offense, and he really wants to just toss himself off the side of the ship and be done with it.

“Don’t say that.”

“You just want me because I’m the Key.”

“I do want you because your the Key,” Jaejoong agrees, “but I also want you because you’re a good person. Your clever and funny—according to Junsu, anyway, though he finds most everything funny—and you’re warm. You’re handsome. I like handsome.”

“Oh, well, I’m here for my looks, then. That’s great. It will be my service to society.”

“Your service is being the Key.”

A Key in the hands of a pirate. Yes, what a service he is.

“Yunho, just so you know, Changmin does value you.”

“That’s strange, I never would have guessed it.”

“Alright, look. Yes, we’re all assholes and yes, we aren’t at all sorry about it. But we need you. This desperate world needs you to find that bloody ship and save us all.”

“I’m only a Key.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Jaejoong says, sending a shiver down Yunho’s spine as he speaks into Yunho’s ear, “I think you have the capability to be so much more.”

 

— 

 

Yunho falls asleep and wakes up three times, plagued with frustration and anger, tearing Jaejoong’s sheets in fits of dreaming rage. The captain clucks when he sees them in the morning, but doesn’t do anything except push Yunho into the bathroom with an order to shower.

Clean clothes are waiting outside the door and by the time Yunho’s pulled them on, Jaejoong’s back, escorting him up to the bridge. “We’re going to teach you how to fly.”

“How to fly?”

“My ship. If you can fly this thing, you can fly anything.” _You can fly the glass ship_ , is implied, and Yunho nods. He’ll the fly the glass ship right out from underneath Jaejoong’s nose is what he’ll do.

Junsu’s waiting for them and he comes up to Yunho carefully, devoid of all magic and the color green, touching his elbow apologetically. “I’m sorry about last night. I was lost in my magic and it made me say some things I regret. I hope you didn’t take them to heart.”

Yunho gapes.

“I tried to tell you,” Jaejoong says, “Junsu without his magic is a different person.”

“Changmin wants to talk to you later,” Junsu says, “I hope you’ll let him.” He leaves with a small smile not at all reminiscent of the eery grin he’s been wearing since Yunho had arrived on the ship.

“Junsu without magic is soft,” Jaejoong continues, as if Junsu had never spoken, “Changmin fell in love with Junsu without magic.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Magic…magic is helpful. But it’s a _part_ of you. And when you send that part of you out, you become half of who you truly are, or a quarter or a sliver. In Junsu’s case, because he has _so much_ magic, he becomes an entirely different person when it leaves his body.”

Yunho gives Jaejoong a side long glance. “And you?”

“I’m not as bad as Junsu, but I have my moments. Thankfully you have yet to see any of them. Now let’s give you a basic rundown of the ship.”

Piloting the ship is not unlike piloting an air taxi—something Yunho knows how to do. He’d rather not think of that experience at all, though, and just lets Jaejoong assume he’s naturally talented at timing steam thrusters and spinning the wheel for direction. In truth, it’s harder than an air taxi because it’s a hundred times bigger, but he thinks he’ll get the hang of it if Jaejoong lets him practice. It gets Yunho out of the room.

“You’ll be flying us into battle in no time,” one of the crew says and Yunho blinks, surprised as the man bows respectfully.

“We didn’t tell them magic makes you sick,” Jaejoong murmurs, mouth in close to Yunho’s ear, “because some of them have a small ability with it and might use it to their advantage without you knowing.”

“What did you say?”

“That you’re a willing part of our crew now. Being the Key affords respect all on its own, Yunho. You are the hope of this crew, for themselves and their friends and their families.” 

_Well, they’re all going to be disappointed_. He doesn’t say it aloud, but he wonders if Jaejoong knows he’s thinking it because the captain’s hand lingers on Yunho’s waist as he’s guided out of the bridge. He’s not surprised when Jaejoong doesn’t bring him back to his (their) quarters and to a part of the ship Yunho hasn’t seen yet. There’s a lot of the ship he doesn’t know about, massive as it is.

It’s Changmin’s room, that much is clear, and it’s as impressive as Jaejoong’s if a little more gloomy. He’s waiting with a bottle of wine, one Yunho remembers seeing in a store front while he and Changmin walked down a street of wares and talked about all the things they wanted to buy, the lives they wished they lived.

“Is that a bribe?” Yunho asks.

“An apology,” Changmin corrects, “Junsu would be here as well but he’s a little tied up at the moment.” Yunho’s sure Changmin means that literally, if the grin in any indication.

“I’ll just leave the two of you to your _adult_ conversation,” Jaejoong says, warning in his voice. 

Yunho nods, decides to speak before he loses the nerve, the closing of the door loud in his ears. “I hear that you scare everyone shitless.”

“Not you,” Changmin says carefully.

It’s not hard to imagine a furious Changmin or a Changmin barking out harsh orders, and Yunho thinks if he stays on this ship long enough maybe that’ll happen, maybe he’ll get on the wrong side of Jaejoong’s real second in command. But maybe, if he plays his cards right, Changmin will still be his friend: less of a terror and more of a useful ally.

“I guess we’ll have to see,” Yunho finally admits. The chair creaks against his weight, the velvet sighing as he eases back into the cushion. 

“Can I pour you a glass?”

It’s thick; spicy sweetness sliding down his esophagus and burning in his stomach, it sends a warmth up his spine to his cheeks. It’s better than he could have ever imagined. 

“I’m sorry I lied to you.”

Yunho snorts. “You’re not though, because I’m pretty sure you’d do it again.”

“I would,” Changmin nods, “We need you.”

“Everyone’s got an opinion,” Yunho mutters.

“Yunho,” Changmin stares into his glass for a moment, “this isn’t just about finding the glass ship.”

“No, that’s exactly what this is about. That is all you want. That is all anyone has ever wanted of me,” he cocks his head, amending after a moment, “save for a few oranges, that is.”

The whir of the ship engines is loud in Yunho’s ears as they sip their wine, Changmin’s nose scrunched as he stares into the liquid. Maybe he’s looking for answers, for the right thing to say. Yunho doesn’t think the second in command will find them.

“It’s about our families,” he finally says.

Yunho bites down an urge to hiss _what families?_

“It’s about making sure everyone gets a fair share.”

“By stealing it?” He can’t hold that back.

“Not if we can help it. We want a society. We can have one, Jaejoong’s proven that by all the hide outs he’s set up that thrive. We just have to get by the Watchmen.”

A slow, mournful ring echoes around the room once as Changmin circles a finger over the edge of his wine glass, a drop of wine sliding down the side of it like a drop of blood, like he had cut his finger on the sharp edge.

“Pirates aren’t the only ones that steal.”

Yunho knows that, is well aware that the Watchmen aren’t the best of role models—but at least they try and have some semblance of a government. “I know what you mean,” he says, “but your words are not enough to convince me.”

He stands, snagging the bottle, glass already caught between his ring and pinky finger. “Apology accepted,” he says, and walks out.

 

— 

 

Yunho finishes the entire bottle before Jaejoong comes back to the room, sighing when he sees Yunho curled up in a chair and hugging the bottle to himself. He’s sure he looks ridiculously, eyes squinting as Jaejoong comes near him and tugs the empty glass from his fingers. “Bastard. That was expensive. You’re supposed to enjoy it.”

“I did,” Yunho slurs, and frowns, “Can drink more than this.”

“This is like five times the normal amount of alcohol in wine. You didn’t even read the label.” Jaejoong swears a little as Yunho stumbles into him, grunting as he helps Yunho to the bed (their bed? Yunho wonders fuzzily, finds he doesn’t actually care what it is, because it’s so soft and warm, or maybe the warm part is Jaejoong’s shoulder, he can’t exactly tell,) and tugs at his shirt. “Off,” he orders, “just because you can’t appreciate expensive things doesn’t mean you get to treat them like shit. Jung Yunho, you are not sleeping in these!”

It had been awhile since Yunho had been drunk. Selling oranges doesn’t leave much wiggle room in terms of spare coin, and when faced with buying wine or buying dinner, food is always the more logical option. He sighs as Jaejoong unbuttons the shirt for him. It’s too easy to lean forward and test his theory on where the warmth he’s feeling is, and smiles as he presses his nose into Jaejoong’s neck. “Warm,” he mutters, meaning to say _you really are warm and cozy and you smell nice and you_ feel _nice and_ —

“Ok, you need to sleep.”

“Pillow,” Yunho says, meaning to say _you’d make a nice pillow and you should just lie down next to me like you always do and I won’t shy away._ He might even cuddle, even though Jaejoong is an enemy.

_Jaejoong is an enemy_ , he repeats, letting the captain finally pull off Yunho’s shirt before attacking his buckle. Pants off, Yunho’s lost in the haze _Jaejoong is an enemy_ , but Jaejoong is also very sexy and currently stripping himself down to something more comfortable, laying his clothes carefully on the couch, getting back on the bed to tuck covers around Yunho’s shoulders.

“Go to sleep,” the captain whispers. 

“Warm pillow,” Yunho tries again, and tugs on Jaejoong’s arm. _Jaejoong is an enemy_ , Yunho thinks, laughing at the captain’s scrunched up nose. “Waaaarm,” he murmurs, fitting Jaejoong easily against him, tucking him in close. _Jaejoong is an enemy_. Hair tickles Yunho’s nose and he holds in a sneeze, hums as Jaejoong gives in to the arms pulling him close and legs tangling underneath the blanket.

“Fine,” he says, “but if you regret this in the morning…” he trails off as Yunho pinches his side.

Yunho may, but right now he wants this, even though _Jaejoong is an enemy_. 

But is he really? Yunho doesn’t know. Maybe. Maybe other times. But not right then. Not right now, and Yunho feels happy drifting off to sleep, Jaejoong’s breath against his collarbone and Jaejoong’s warmth seeping into his skin and Jaejoong’s fingers, brushing against the expanse of his chest.

He wonders, in his last conscious moments, what Jaejoong is thinking.

_What am_ I _thinking_ , he asks himself, and passes out before he can find an answer.

 

—

 

A headache jolts him awake in the morning, the sensation of daggers pressing into his temples and poking his brain. Jaejoong’s still passed out next to him, body still as warm and soft as it had been last night, his breath gentle against Yunho’s bare skin.

Funny, Yunho thinks he remembers Jaejoong putting a shirt on him last night, but he can’t quite recall the exact sequence of events beside him storming out of Changmin’s room and getting completely drunk, so Yunho lets it go. He clearly does not have a shirt on (or pants, he realizes, feeling Jaejoong’s bare legs against his own,) and so his memories of going to bed fully clothed are obviously incorrect. _Damn_ , he swears, swallowing at the tops of Jaejoong’s muscled shoulders that he can see poking above the blanket and his hair, the roots black, clearly in need of a good dyeing if Jaejoong wants to keep the golden color, and _godsdamn, he’s gorgeous._

And it leaves Yunho with a problem. Falling back to sleep is out of the question, and staying much longer like he is will just make matters much worse. But getting out of bed leaves him with the issue of not just _where to go afterwards_ but also will he wake Jaejoong up in the process? After another moment of feeling Jaejoong’s skin pressing against his he decides staying in bed is the worst option possible and so carefully begins to maneuver the captain onto the pillows, untangling their limbs. 

But Yunho’s clearly the most unlucky person in the world, because Jaejoong wakes up, mumbling angrily, nose scrunched and eyebrows knitting together as he tries to figure out why he’s being dragged into wakefulness.

“Have to pee,” Yunho says, _and get away from you and your porcelain skin and pretty eyes and—_

“Better come back.”

Jaejoong sprawls across the bed as Yunho launches from it, the captain half burying his face in the pillow, blanket draped across his back and Yunho is so entranced by the dip of skin disappearing underneath the soft velvet he stares for a full minute before bolting out of the cabin, heart hammering in his chest. 

_Good gods_. He is so fucked.


	4. Four

Yunho pilots the ship into the Falls, Jaejoong standing over his shoulder and guiding him with gentle words and an even gentler hand on his shoulder. It’s distracting, but cresting over the mountain range into the secluded valleys of the Falls proves to be even more so, though Yunho thinks he deserves a little praise for not crashing into anything as he stares.

It’s formed around a lake, a pattern of water thundering off the edges of cliffs in between crevices and cascading down in a mess of white foam. The water pools in stone before moving off another edge, down and down, finally crashing onto rocks and sweeping into a river. As they glide through the valleys, Yunho lets go of the controls when Jaejoong prompts him, the regular pilot flashing him an approving smile before taking Yunho’s place. Between the walls of water and strings of lights bobbing in the air, rainbows are thrown across bridges and onto ships sliding through the water and spraying tourist frigates full to bursting with people shod in raincoats and headgear, cameras flashing and causing bursts of color through the sheen of mist.

The center of the Falls holds a construct of buildings, mostly hotels and malls, five miles wide. It’s so busy, the air thick with ships and taxis, sparkling under the sun because of the water, Yunho could have sworn that it’s a main Watchmen city not a vacation destination.

“You won’t get caught here?” Yunho asks, noting with a little apprehension some Watchmen aircraft circling lazily around the perimeter of the Falls.

“I have more people here then they do,” Jaejoong says, “and even if that weren’t true, they’re not stupid enough to start a battle at the most popular tourist attraction in the world. If we face any trouble it’ll be once we leave. If they can figure out it’s us that is. We’re broadcasting a fake ID signal and that’ll keep them happy for awhile.”

“Even if they can see us?” Yunho asks, because he’s pretty sure anyone can recognize Jaejoong’s ship, plastered as it is in every Watchmen controlled city.

“Yes,” Jaejoong says, “because they’ll be asking themselves, ‘what Pirate King would come to such a congested area? It must be someone else,’ and by the time they realize it actually is me and start to call in reinforcements, we’ll be gone.”

He’s done this before, then, Yunho realizes, and can only nod. Junsu puts a hand on his shoulder. “We’re monitoring their communications,” he whispers, “and the moment they discover us we’ll leave.” They expect it, clearly, but none of them are worried and so Yunho decides he can’t be either. They’re here for a relic and he should focus on finding it.

They dock near the bottom of the city, hidden away for the most part and the only people Jaejoong takes with him is Yunho, Changmin, and Junsu. Yoochun stays on board to keep order and make sure none of the crew try to sneak off. “I’ll comm you if I see anything suspicious,” he says, “and Jaejoong…be careful.” He turns away before any of them can answer, barking orders for people to start repairing something that sounds very technical and important before he’s lost, moving away up the docking ramp.

“Right,” Jaejoong says, checking his gun before adjusting his cloak, “let’s go.”

Changmin drapes an arm around Junsu’s shoulder casually, pulling the magician close as they saunter away and Yunho feels Jaejoong grab his sleeve and Yunho can’t find it in himself to protest as Jaejoong rests his arm in the crook of Yunho’s elbow, takes a moment to rest his cheek and nose on Yunho’s shoulder before smiling up at him. “So. How good are you at street fighting?”

 

—

 

The restaurant they end up invading is an expensive one, set almost near the top of the conglomerate of buildings in the middle of the lake with a 360 degree view of the Falls, ships following the string of lights in and out of the water. The resulting rainbows nearly blind Yunho.

They’re led to a revolving table, moving slow enough to be hardly noticeable but fast enough so that by the time someone’s finished a meal they’ve seen out of each window. Or that’s what Jaejoong whispers into his ear as they sit down, following it with a request to keep an eye out for the relic. Heechul had said it had been in plain sight.

But it’s hard to focus while being being served the best meal he’s had in his entire life. Also, Jaejoong keeps a hand on Yunho’s knee the entire dinner and that’s nearly as distracting as the food.

“Do you sense anything?” Changmin asks conversationally.

“No,” Yunho answers, ignoring the heat spreading across his thigh. He’s sure that’s not the sort of sensing Changmin means.

“I was asking Junsu,” Changmin tells him, rolling his eyes, and Yunho feels his face heat. He and Changmin haven’t really talked since Yunho walked out with his wine and drunk himself into a stupor.

But Yunho recalls Heechul saying the crystal he’d seen had been on the ceiling, and he pauses his meal a moment to look up at it. There are a lot of shiny things hangning, as well as somethings Yunho doesn’t want to think about that only confirm the establishment belongs to a former pirate.

“Take a walk around,” Jaejoong suggests.

“Go with Junsu,” Changmin says around a mouthful.

Junsu tugs Yunho to his feet, smiling congenially and lets out a sliver of magic. It wraps around Junsu’s own wrist, an end wiggling about like a feeler and he pulls them away from the table.

“You can sense other magic?”

“Sometimes. The relics I can because they’re so strongly imbued with it.”

“Why can’t I?”

“You just have to learn,” Junsu smiles, and then pauses, green strand of magic quivering. “This way.”

The restaurant isn’t very big and when Junsu stops them by a window Yunho can still see the top of Jaejoong’s head. “Perfect.”

Above them is a diamond shaped crystal and in a second a green tendril of magic has snapped it from its string and Junsu holds it over Yunho’s hand. “Make it float.”

It does, glowing under Yunho’s touch, and he tucks it into his pocket before they walk back, Yunho thinking it’d been far too easy. Apparently, Jaejoong thinks the same thing.

It’s funny, how Yunho has started to notice Jaejoong’s moods and expressions: how he looks when he’s angry, how he looks when he’s pleased. Right now his food is entirely forgotten, steam long gone from the soup he’d been sipping and his teeth are biting into his lips as he drums his perfectly manicured fingernails against the table.

“You should eat that,” Yunho says, sliding back into the booth and nearly knocking his elbow against Jaejoong’s.

“I’m waiting for the Bastard to show up.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t be waiting for him,” Changmin says, “I know you want to kick his ass, but we should avoid confrontation.”

“I can guarantee you that he knows we’re here and is waiting until we leave to send his thugs after us. I’d rather have a public confrontation than one in a dark alley.”

“Either way,” Yunho huffs, “you should shovel down food. Now.”

“Stop telling me what to do,” Jaejoong bites back.

It had only been a suggestion, and one that had been egged on by Junsu’s nod of approval, but Yunho is familiar with the pain of hunger and is never one to be wasteful, even if it’s a pirate king that doesn’t want to eat. Stabbing a piece of meat with one chopstick he holds it at eye level, spitting Jaejoong with a glare. 

“Put it in your mouth.”

Crumbs go flying in Yunho’s peripheral vision, proof of Junsu guffawing even as Changmin pounds his back. Jaejoong eyes the piece of meat like he’d rather truss it up and toss it overboard than eat it. Maybe even shoot it first.

“Now,” Yunho insists.

An eyebrow twitches, and Jaejoong’s lip curls, but he accepts the first piece of meat and then a second. Yunho coaxes him into eating a third piece speared to a slice of grilled potato. He tries not to stare as Jaejoong wipes away a trail of melted butter that slides off the side of his lip.

“Did we finally find someone that can order our captain around and not have to pay for it?” Changmin asks. 

It’s mostly to Junsu and definitely rhetorical, but Jaejoong replies anyway, “Oh, he’ll be paying for it.” The glint in his eye is quick to appear and Yunho can’t look away fast enough.

“You’ll thank me,” Yunho says, “once you get your fight and you have enough energy to win.”

“I always win.” Jaejoong meets his gaze coolly. “I always get my way, energy or not.”

Yunho’s sure that also means _I always get what I want_.

“Jaejoong,” Junsu interrupts, head cocked to the side suddenly, “He’s coming.”

“Give Junsu the relic,” Jaejoong orders, tossing his napkin onto the table and standing. “He’s got a better chance of keeping it safe, no offense.”

Yunho doesn’t have a chance to hand it over, Junsu’s magic sneaking into his pocket and tucking the relic into a pouch at lightning speed. “Who is this again?” Yunho asks Changmin, leaning in close as they slide out of the booth and Jaejoong leaves more than enough coin on the table to cover their meal. They’re not three steps from it before their waiter pounces, scooping up the money and bolting.

“Jaejoong’s ex-lover,” Changmin whispers back.

And _oh_. Yunho swallows down his dinner that suddenly wants to come back up into his mouth. Maybe eating hadn’t been a good idea after all. 

They’re surrounded by the time they get to the exit, and a man just about Jaejoong’s height pushes through the circle of men, smile soft. Yunho immediately dislikes him.

“Jaejoong-ah,” he croons.

“Get out of my way.”

“What are you doing in my restaurant?” the man asks, as if Jaejoong hadn’t spoken.

“Oh, you own this?” Jaejoong turns to Changmin, “Make a note, please. We’re never to come here again.”

“Don’t be so harsh,” the man chides. 

“Don’t stand in my way.”

“But you have something of mine. I want it back.”

“If I did take something,” Jaejoong replies easily, “It’s only fair and square, considering what you stole from me. Now get out of our path or I will make you.”

“You always were bossy.”

Yunho mostly knows how to handle himself in a fight. It had been necessary on the streets in order for him to survive, and even though it had been one on one or perhaps one on three, Yunho’s sure he can land a few punches in order to get away. 

He would much rather be Jaejoong’s captive than someone else’s.

But Jaejoong’s ex-lover-bastard-whatever isn’t attacking, seemingly content to banter back and forth and hold his ground. “What is he doing?” Yunho asks, out of the side of his mouth.

“Stalling,” Changmin says back, just as inconspicuously, “he knows he can’t beat Junsu, even with all these men so he’s most likely sending a notice to the Watchmen sentry informing them of our presence here.”

“And we’re _letting_ him?”

“Of course not,” Changmin responds, “Junsu’s just figuring the best way to get out of here without making too much of a scene. We still have one more stop to make.”

Yunho knows better than to ask, especially when he notices one of the Bastard’s men eyeing them as they whisper.

“Should I duck?” Yunho asks, watching Junsu’s skin start to turn green.

“No,” Changmin chuckles, “this will only last a second.”

Yunho thinks perhaps Changmin is exaggerating, but turns out he’s being perfectly serious. One moment, Junsu is glowing and then the next the Bastard’s men are all laid out on the floor groaning, Junsu wiping a bit of dirt from his eye, blinking owlishly.

“Moving on,” Jaejoong hums, and takes possession of Yunho’s hand, guiding him around the bodies spasming on the floor and out of the restaurant.

“I thought you said we wouldn’t be making a scene.”

“That’s not a scene,” Junsu sniffs, “there isn’t even any blood.”

_Right,_ Yunho thinks, _no blood. Obviously that makes it ok._

“Save the thinking for later,” Jaejoong tells him, squeezing Yunho’s fingers, warmth spreading all the way down to Yunho’s toes. 

“Ok,” Yunho agrees immediately, and doesn’t wonder at why he always does exactly as Jaejoong asks.

 

—

 

The other stop they have to make is a library, where Junsu smiles devilishly at the curator while Jaejoong takes Yunho back into the stacks to relieve them of a pile of books.

“Why is Junsu being scary?” Yunho asks. “We can just return them later.”

“We will not be returning these books,” Jaejoong tells him, “and we need to ensure that the librarian doesn’t tell anyone that we took them. Junsu and Changmin will take care of that so just pay attention.”

A sudden need to imitate Jaejoong’s sentence in the voice of a five year old crawls up into Yunho’s brain but he shoves it down, well aware that Jaejoong still has his serious face in place and any humor will not be well received. 

“What do you need here?”

“I don’t need anything. These books are for you.”

Yunho should have known. “They have a lot of literature here about the Glass Ship. Well, a lot of speculative literature, anyway. I’ve read through some of it during my time here and now that I have you I figured I should just take the books for you to read.”

“Such thoughtfulness.”

He earns a hard elbow into his stomach for sarcastic tone and only just manages to not double over in pain.

“Hold out your arms.”

Jaejoong starts with books, placing them in the crook of Yunho’s elbows as they walk down a dusty row of shelves and by the time they get to the end of it, Yunho’s balancing scrolls on top of the bound volumes with his chin. It’s probably a form of punishment; Yunho sucks it up.

“Let’s go.”

The librarian looks like someone killed her parents when she sees the towers of tomes Yunho has with him but dutifully keeps her mouth shut and barely makes a sound as Junsu pats her cheek. “Good girl,” he murmurs to her, “you may get up when the next patron walks inside but you may never tell anyone we were here.”

It’s magic he’s working into her, Yunho can see the green color melting into her skin but Jaejoong hustles him out before he can see the final result. 

Yoochun’s waiting for them at the ship, broad grin on his face and Jaejoong sighs. “Who did you kill?”

“Don’t be like that. All I did was sabotage a ship. It was perfectly orchestrated and we have an easy get away now because of it. Need some help, Yunho?”

“He does not,” Jaejoong frowns.

Yeah, it’s definitely a punishment.

“We’re taking off as soon as Changmin and Junsu get here.”

Yoochun salutes, though he leers through the gesture as Yunho passes and had he not been trying to balance his load, Yunho would have aimed a kick at Yoochun’s leg. Maybe he will later.

His arms nearly float off his body when he finally dumps the books and scrolls onto the table in Jaejoong’s cabin and he collapses into a chair as Jaejoong rifles through them, finally handing him one. “Here. Start with this one. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Yunho takes a bath first, mostly out of spite, but his curiosity gets the better of him and when they are in the air (with subsequently nothing for him to do anyway,) he curls up on the couch and begins to read.

Two hours later, he wakes up to Jaejoong standing in front of him, hand on his hip and Yunho can smell the soap from the bath, see the heat of the water lingering in the flush of his cheeks. 

Yunho tries not to think about the fact that he fell asleep (how late was it, exactly?) and that Jaejoong probably _watched_ him sleep for awhile and swallows down his guilt (even though he doesn’t know _why_ he feels guilty.)

“Yes?”

“You owe me.”

“For what?”

“Ordering me around. There’s a price that comes with that; no one gets away with it, not even my Key.”

Yunho slides a thin piece of paper in between the pages of his book and sets the volume down onto the table. The sofa cushion sighs as Jaejoong sits next to him and the scent of spices nearly overwhelms Yunho’s senses as Jaejoong slide in close, resting a hand on Yunho’s thigh. It’s an immediate and overbearing heat.

“What’s the price?” he asks. “I’ll pay it, if it means you eat and sleep correctly.”

“Are you trying to make me think you care about me?”

“I do care,” Yunho answers honestly, “Who else will treat me this nice?”

No one, he knows. No one is quite like this eccentric Pirate King.

“Should I tell you or just take it from you?”

“Take it,” Yunho challenges, thinking he’ll laugh if Jaejoong tries to tug off his shirt or confiscate the book or paint something on his cheek or—

His mind wipes a moment too late (he should have thought of it, he should have seen this,) and then Jaejoong’s lips press against his and there’s a beat of his heart and Jaejoong’s hand finding Yunho’s own and he realizes he’s kissing back, thumb tracing Jaejoong’s jaw to his ear.

“There,” Jaejoong murmurs, pulling back. His lips are red and they’re breathing hard and Yunho can’t stop staring. “Think hard before you order me around again, Jung Yunho, because that’s the price you pay.”

He leaves Yunho on the couch, pressing the book back into his hands. “I have work to do, but you can sleep if you want.”

Jaejoong doesn’t look at him again, eyes trained to the papers on his desk as scratches a pen across it, dipping the tip into an inkwell every so often, bitting down on his lip, eyes squinting as he thinks. 

Perhaps sleep _is_ the best course of action, because Yunho certainly won’t be able to concentrate on his book, not with the heat rushing through his body and the scent of Jaejoong’s soap clinging to the air. So he slides his body under the covers of the bed, rolling onto his side and watches Jaejoong work: the tilt of his head, his gentle breathing, the shift of his muscles every time he repositions his body.

In between his mind racing and finally dozing off, he realizes he’s torn between never telling Jaejoong what to do again or ordering him around for as long he remains on the ship.


	5. Five

Just a note: apparently I wasn’t clear in the first chapter, but Yunho is not fifteen here. I don’t write underage things, not just because it’s ILLEGAL but because I find it disturbing. I did ~mention~ Yunho being 15 at the beginning of the story, but that was only when he found out that he was the Key. Many years have passed between then and now. Jaejoong is older than him but only by a few years and they’re both in their mid-twenties like irl. Hope that clears things up.

\--

 

It’s Yoochun that wakes Yunho up, yanking covers off his body and causing his feet to immediately chill. “Go away.”

“Jaejoong wants you. Get up.”

“He can come here.”

“Now, Yunho. It’s a really bad idea to piss him off when he hasn’t slept in like…three days.”

Yunho peers out from underneath a pillow. “He hasn’t slept?”

“Well, you tell me. Has he been in bed with you? No? Okay, then. That’s your answer.”

“But—“

“Get out of bed and get dressed and onto the bridge. Now. And bring the relics with you!”

Yunho thinks it’s really lucky that Yoochun’s the one that dragged him out of bed and not Changmin. Changmin would have gotten a fist slammed into his face. Probably several times.

The glass relics are kept in a chest underneath Jaejoong’s bed, each one carefully wrapped in a soft cloth and Yunho puts each one into a sack gently before adjusting the straps on his shoulders and heading towards the bridge.

He nods to everyone, bowing when he sees a crew member he’s learned to be of high rank or someone Jaejoong particularly likes. He figures if he’s going to pull the wool over Jaejoong’s eyes, disrespectfulness won’t help him.

Jaejoong looks terrible. Yunho’s not sure if maybe he only notices it now because it had been pointed out to him but Jaejoong’s face is twice as pale as it normally is, dark circles curling around his eyes, and he’s flopped in his captain’s chair looking like he wouldn’t be able to stand if someone paid him.

“You’re here,” Jaejoong says, beckoning with a hand, “finally.”

“You don’t look well,” Yunho says, frowning.

Jaejoong snorts. “Too busy to worry about myself. Come sit.”

Yunho sits on the floor, resting his back against the chair. He sets the relics into Jaejoong’s lap and gets a smile for his trouble, a hand on his shoulder and it warms the skin, though Yunho finds the heat comfortable; he’s actually getting used to it.

“Is something wrong?” Yunho asks.

“We’re about to fly above the Watchmen capitol…high enough so that they probably won’t notice us, but just in case I want you here where I can see you.”

“Afraid I’ll do something?”

“No, you gave me your word. I’m just afraid _they’ll_ do something.”

“Do they even know I’m with you?”

He can almost see Jaejoong shrug. Who knows what they Watchmen knew, especially after their little encounter with the Ex-Boyfriend Bastard. 

Changmin’s listening intently to the sounds outside the ship, headgear pressed tightly to his ears and his eyes screwed shut. On the bow, Yunho can see Junsu balanced precariously, magic pouring from him as he feels the air currents for any hint of an enemy ship.

But there’s nothing. They glide slowly through the clouds, and with each millimeter, Jaejoong’s grip on Yunho’s shoulder relaxes until finally, everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief.

“Why did we even bother going over it?”

“Short cut. Need to get back to Heechul as fast as we can.”

This isn’t explained and so Yunho decides not to press, waiting until Jaejoong finds his feet underneath him before standing. “Walk me back.” 

Back to his cabin, where Yunho really hopes Jaejoong will curl up in bed and rest because who will take care of Yunho if Jaejoong passes out from exhaustion? Half way there Jaejoong latches onto Yunho’s wrist, leaning heavily on his arm for support as they start to pass saluting crew members. Yunho holds him up as best he can without actually looking like he’s doing it. 

“You should sleep,” Yunho tells him, when they finally make it through the door, Jaejoong making for the couch piled high with books. 

“Need to do some work.”

“What you need to do is rest.”

“Aw, are you caring again?”

“Yes!” For some reason, Jaejoong’s elbow feels too thin where Yunho grabs it, his skin too gaunt where Yunho looks down on it. “Please, sleep. Please, Jaejoong, you need it. You really, really need it.”

Jaejoong raises an eyebrow. Somehow, Yunho knows what’s going to come out of that mouth before it actually does. The tone is cold steel. “Is that an order?”

His skin is cold where Yunho touches it, lifting his face up and pressing their lips together. It’s nothing like the kiss they had shared last night, this one devoid of passion, of heat. But Yunho’s desperate. He’d get on his knees and bow his head and beg if it means the Captain will sleep.

“Please,” he murmurs, pulling away, “get into the bed and sleep.”

“And here I thought that might ward you off ordering me around.”

“Not when you need it,” Yunho whispers, “not when you won’t listen to anyone.”

“I don’t know why you care so much,” Jaejoong mutters, “but alright. I’ll try to sleep.”

He makes it clear Yunho isn’t allowed to do anything but lay with him, and for a second, as Jaejoong pillows his head on Yunho’s chest and Yunho’s slips his arms around Jaejoong’s shoulders—which seem so frail, so thin—Yunho thinks it wouldn’t take much to just break him in half.

“Only a few hours,” Jaejoong murmurs.

_Over my dead body_ , Yunho thinks, and is very careful not to say it aloud. 

 

—

 

He hadn’t meant it literally, but when Yunho wakes up to a vicious looking dagger raised above his head he thinks _I take it back oh gods you can only have a few hours of sleep if that’s what you want_ before he realizes that Jaejoong’s still wrapped in his arms, sleeping, and not the one holding the weapon.

Assassin, then, Yunho surmises with a surprising amount of calmness. They stare at one another for a moment and it’s pure luck that Yunho manages to get an arm out just before the dagger comes down, aiming for Jaejoong’s heart. It slices through Yunho’s forearm but Jaejoong’s alive, even as Yunho dives for the intruder, knife flinging across the room and burying in the door way. He gets an arm around the man’s neck, trying to think past the pain and the blood making his grip slippery and screams Jaejoong’s name as the room suddenly blurs.

But he needn’t have worried; the captain is already on his feet, eyes blazing, the black of his magic pouring from him and ripping the man away from Yunho while simultaneously wrapping around Yunho’s wound to stop the bleeding. If it means staying alive, Yunho will take nausea and sickness any day.

Changmin bursts into the room a second later, a bleary-eyed Junsu behind him, though they become clear as he takes in the scene before them, Jaejoong now having ensconced the man in glowing black against the wall. “Fix Yunho,” Jaejoong says through gritted teeth, “I’ve got this one under control.”

The black on his arm disappears but as Junsu’s green magic flows over the wound and begins to heal it, Yunho’s stomach roils immediately and Changmin is barely able to shove a metal waste bin under him before he loses the contents of his stomach.

“Sorry,” Junsu says (cackles, because his magic is all over the room and he doesn’t have enough of himself left to be kind,) “Sorry, Yunho, but that nicked an artery. You would’ve been dead in a few minutes.”

“S’okay,” Yunho gasps, and collapses against Junsu’s chest, vaguely aware of Changmin yelling for guards and Yoochun and _how the fuck did he get on board and who the fuck is he?_ Questions Yunho finds he’d like to know the answer to as well.

Yoochun arrives panting, swearing violently under his breath with crew members behind him armed to the teeth. 

“Take him down to the brig,” Jaejoong orders, releasing his magic as Junsu replaces it with his own looking gleeful. “Get answers. I’ll be there shortly.”

Jaejoong takes Yunho and Junsu the assassin, Yoochun following with a grim face, fingers twitching. Changmin pats Yunho’s knee. “You alright?”

Yunho fights another urge to hurl. He wants the magic off his arm now. He points to it.

“I know. Let me get something to stitch you up and then I’ll get Junsu to take that off. Want me to knock you out?”

“No, thank you,” Yunho grits, knowing Changmin probably means hit him hard on the top of the head.

“Here,” Jaejoong offers, swiping a bottle of alcohol within reach, “Drink. It won’t numb you but at least it’ll make you happy.” 

The sting of Changmin’s needle as it carefully mends his arm isn’t as bad as Yunho had thought it would be. “Junsu fixed the artery with magic,” Changmin says, “so you don’t have to worry about that. Besides, you know,” he nods in the direction of the bin, “throwing up for awhile.”

Yunho tries very hard not to be irritated and instead grabs Jaejoong’s hand in his own and squeezes fighting the pain and the nausea and the shame at getting hurt.

“You saved me,” Jaejoong murmurs, a little awed, “You really do care.” 

_I don’t know why you care_ , Jaejoong had said last night. Yunho swallows, burying his face in Jaejoong neck and gritting his teeth. 

He doesn’t know why he cares either.

 

—

 

Jaejoong’s face looms in front of him when Yunho wakes up and it’s a lot nicer than coming to with a dagger in his face. There’s more of a healthy flush in Jaejoong’s cheeks now and a fire in his eyes, and he’s so beautiful Yunho finds he actually has to remind himself that he’s a prisoner. He’s wanted on this ship for the marks on his hands, nothing else.

“You’re awake. How do you feel?”

Terrible, Yunho thinks, once he polls his body, but at least he hasn’t thrown up yet. He manages a weak smile.

“That’s so convincing,” Jaejoong rolls his eyes, “Are you hungry?”

Yunho pulls a face. He’d rather not eat just yet. “Water,” he suggests, and focuses on breathing until Jaejoong comes back with a cup. He somehow manages to keep it down and thinks it’s a good thing the magic is gone from his arm because he’s not sure it would have otherwise.

“What happened?”

“Besides you saving my life?” Jaejoong asks, fingers brushing at Yunho’s hair.

“Since then,” Yunho corrects, and tries to smile again.

He gets another eye roll for his trouble. “Don’t exert yourself. I know you’re not actually well enough to do much more than breathe.”

Yunho pouts.

“The dagger,” Jaejoong continues, “besides slicing through your veins and nearly bleeding you dry was also poisoned, which we didn’t realize until Junsu told us later. He’s fixed what he can but you’re—well. I’m monitoring you closely and when we get to Heechul I’m going to have his doctors check you out since Junsu really isn’t one.”

“The man?” Yunho asks, meaning the assassin.

“Watchman. Snuck aboard at the Falls. Yoochun’s kicking himself but he’s just one person; there’s only so much we can keep an eye on with a ship this big. We had supplies being loaded and lots of things going on all at once. It’s no one’s fault.”

Understanding from a pirate isn’t what Yunho would have expected but then Jaejoong clearly values his crew and he especially values Yoochun. And Yoochun’s expertise does not fall in recognizing potential assassins. 

“Never been poisoned,” Yunho says.

“I don’t think you should be proud.”

“M’not. But you know, if I ever need a good conversation starter, that’ll be it.”

“We’re almost at Heechul’s so I need to go up to the bridge. Sleep for a little while longer.”

Yunho does, still feeling a lingering warmth from where Jaejoong had cupped his cheek. He ignores the voice in the back of his mind telling him that he really, really likes it.

Changmin and Yoochun come to get Yunho once they dock, sliding arms around his middle to keep him upright. The marks on his hands are covered with gloves Jaejoong gives him, and they barely go three steps before a hover car pulls out in front of them, Heechul in the pilot’s seat with a scowl on his face the size of Jaejoong’s ship. “You get into the worst sort of trouble,” he snarls.

“Well, I’m king,” Jaejoong returns. “Come on, Yunho.”

“And _you_ ,” Heechul starts, pointing a finger in Yunho’s face.

“Stop it, he’s been stabbed and poisoned; all for the man keeping him prisoner. He doesn’t deserve your bitching.”

“You certainly care a lot,” Heechul finishes anyway, batting at Jaejoong’s hand trying to punch his shoulder, “for a _prisoner_.”

Yunho’s beginning to get sick of the word care. He’s not sure he even knows what it means. Maybe he doesn’t want to know.

 

— 

 

Yunho’s not conscious for the visit of Heechul’s brilliant doctor friend, but when he wakes up he feels immensely better. Though apparently not getting out of bed yet because Jaejoong’s laying next to him, arms around his waist, sleeping. The roiling in his stomach is gone and he finds he’s hungry, wishing he could get up without disturbing the captain. _You’re caring_ , a voice accuses and Yunho scowls. He just wants Jaejoong to sleep a lot and not look like Yunho can overpower him with a pinky finger. Yunho needs protection among the pirates and Jaejoong’s giving him that.

“Are you going to huff in my ear all day or are you getting up?”

“M’getting up. Hungry.”

“Heechul has food for you,” Jaejoong says face half in his pillow. “But the doctor said to take a bath, soak your arm for awhile. I have no idea why.”

“Alright,” Yunho agrees. He probably smells like blood and anesthetic, his nose adjusting to the stench while he slept. They’re in the same rooms they had before, and well acquainted with the bathroom, Yunho runs the water, dumping something that smells nice into the porcelain tub before stripping, tossing his clothes in a corner and hoping that maybe Heechul has something else he can wear. Stink clings to fabric a lot easier than it does skin. 

He’s in the middle of trying to reach his back with a cloth when a hand latches onto his wrist. “I’ll do it,” Jaejoong’s voice says and Yunho nearly jumps out of his skin. He hadn’t heard the door open, he hadn’t heard Jaejoong walk to the tub, Yunho is _naked_ for the gods sake. And so is Jaejoong.

“What?” Jaejoong asks, climbing in next to him. “Is this not fine?”

_NO_ , Yunho screams in his mind, keeping his gaze straight ahead, even as Jaejoong turns him, slathering his back with something warm. He should not be okay with this. He should be protesting. He should not allow Jaejoong into his personal space. None of this is fine. 

“It’s fine,” he says, trying not to shudder under the press of Jaejoong’s fingers on his skin.

Whatever Jaejoong washes him with is quick to create bubbles in the water, enough so that after a few minutes he can’t see anything but Jaejoong’s chest and, once Yunho turns back around, Jaejoong’s knee caps poking out from underneath a thick layer of foam.

His smile falters a bit as Jaejoong’s hand underneath the water grabs onto Yunho’s, brings up his injured arm. His fingers trace against he scar; Junsu hadn’t even been able to get rid of it. “It feels better?” Jaejoong asks, face tilted up towards Yunho’s.

Yunho nods.

The warm liquid is spread on his arm gently, Jaejoong smoothing carefully and eventually massaging.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because you’re my Key.”

“Bullshit.”

“Well, you are,” Jaejoong snorts, “and I want to care for you.”

Care. Yunho nearly throws up at just the word. 

“Heechul has a cell if you’d prefer that.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I know,” Jaejoong says, “But it’s that or this. I don’t do things half way, Yunho. I never have and I never will.”

It’s also not what Yunho meant. He wants to know why Jaejoong thinks it’s ok to kiss him and ok to get into a bath naked with him and sleep in the same bed with him and why he seems to think that Yunho’s not going to get attached. Yunho always gets attached and he can’t this time, not here, not to a pirate, not to someone keeping him prisoner, not when he wants to leave. 

He should want to leave.

_Do you?_

Yunho watches Jaejoong’s fingers slide up and down his newly acquired scar, the tips tracing the skin before pressing against it, scrubbing with the soapy liquid until he’s satisfied. He’s never had someone care about him like this, never had someone protect him like this, or treat him like this.

It makes his head spin.

“Have you talked to Changmin?”

“About what?”

“About the two of you.”

“He gave me wine, remember?”

“I mean since then. And he didn’t give it to you, you took it.”

“Well he was an asshole.”

“You need to talk to him.”

“Why?” Yunho finally shrugs Jaejoong’s hand away. “I’ve forgiven him…mostly. But he’s still a dick and still a pirate.”

“Talk to him,” Jaejoong said firmly, finger in Yunho’s face.

_Are you ordering me?_ is on the tip of Yunho’s tongue, just because he wants to spite Jaejoong, just because he wants to see his reaction, but he knows he can’t. It’s not how it works. Jaejoong can order Yunho around all he wants and there are no consequences for that.

“I’ll think about it.”

“You’ll do it. Now get out. We’ve got work to do.”

 

— 

 

By work, Jaejoong means pore through the books they stole from the library and try to find clues as to where the last relic might be hidden.

“I think it has to do with the area,” Jaejoong says, laying out a map of the world. “We’ve found one piece in each of the five regions so far, and it only makes sense that the final one is in the last region.” 

He taps the center of the map but isn’t smiling. Yunho doesn’t smile either; they’d just passed over the last region and he has no desire to repeat that experience. “But that’s the Watchmen capitol.”

“I know that. But we need the fifth piece if we’re going to find the Glass Ship, Yunho. We have to have it.”

“We don’t know where it is. We can’t just go flying through the capitol looking for it. That’s a death sentence. For everyone.”

“We won’t be flying,” Jaejoong says, “at least not on this ship. I’m surprised, Yunho. You should know this isn’t the only vessel I own. I’m good at sneaky. We all are. Also we have Junsu.”

Junsu’s not a magic failsafe, Yunho knows, even if he’s very good at what he does. He’s one person that, while basically a killing machine, would still have a difficult time facing the entire Watchmen army. 

“You haven’t been with us for very long,” Jaejoong continues, “so don’t assume this is the first time we’ve done this. Besides you’re my Key. We’ll be taking extra pro-cautions. I promise.”

Jaejoong’s smile is almost reassuring.


	6. Six

Traveling into the capitol is unbelievably easy. 

The ship they ride in on is only small enough to fit the five of them, Jaejoong and Yunho in one bunk and the other three across a hallway not three meters wide. With a cockpit squished against the two rooms in the front, the back holds a kitchen (barely able to house all of the comfortably) and then the engine room in the back. It’s not meant for long trips and Yunho’s grateful it had only been a few days of flying.

Being cooped up with the other four, unable to have his own bubble of space, unable to escape Jaejoong’s presence for long, had worn on Yunho. Being manhandled by Jaejoong down a street and pushed into a back alley whorehouse and into a room to share with Jaejoong—again—also makes him want to crack his head open. Too much Jaejoong.

Jaejoong. Jaejoong. Jaejoong. Yunho wants to cry.

Junsu spends hours meditating on the bed, magic seeping from him and into the floorboards and the ceiling, creeping through the city (Jaejoong tells them,) looking for a clue as to where the relic might be. Yoochun and Changmin follow every lead but always come back empty handed. Another bust. Another dead end.

“It has to be somewhere.”

Yunho thinks if they all go look instead of just Junsu then maybe they’ll find it quicker. But the expression on Jaejoong’s face tells him asking is not a smart course of action. He’s a prisoner, for all that they don’t treat him like one.

In between searching, Junsu teaches him magic. There’s a lot of theory Yunho doesn’t understand, about where the magic comes from and how it works but the practical part of it, the part where after a lot of meditation Yunho starts to _feel_ the magic inside him is the part he really likes.

The magic isn’t quite the same. He didn’t think he had a color to his magic, but then Junsu had pointed out that his palms glow silver—and last he checked, silver was a color—and so Yunho had spent hours envisioning the color silver, his color silver, as something that runs through this body like blood and the marks on his hands the way for it to come out and be utilized to do whatever he wants.

He starts small by making things other than relics levitate over his hand. It takes him three days to get a silver coin to wobble for a few seconds before droppig. 

Changmin gets a good laugh in over that one, nearly doubled over in mirth. “It took Junsu a half hour to do that,” he wheezes, batting away a paper bag Yoochun tries to get him to breathe into by shoving it over his face. Yunho hopes it smothers Changmin.

“Don’t be rude,” Jaejoong chides, “there’s no one quite like Junsu. You’re doing wonderfully, Yunho.”

“Tell him how long it took you,” Changmin prompts. He shoves Yoochun’s shoulder as the bag pokes at his eye. “Stop it.”

“It doesn’t matter how long it took me,” Jaejoong says, “what matters is that Yunho’s working hard. Now stop bothering him and go do something useful. Like scouting. There’s still several areas of the inner city we haven’t scoured.”

Yunho’s beginning to suspect that they’re never going to find the damn relic. Not without some sort of miracle.

It’s another three days before he can hold the coin over his hand indefinitely. Three days of Changmin laughing at him and Junsu telling him to keep trying and Yoochun making greasy jokes to lighten the mood. Three days of Jaejoong sticking to his side like glue and Jaejoong taking him for walks in the city. Jaejoong making sure he eats and Jaejoong forcing him to sleep and Jaejoong telling him that everything is going to be okay.

Yunho’s not sure it will be.

It finally hits him in between breakfast and Jaejoong going out into the street to feed their left overs to orphans: Yunho doesn’t know what Jaejoong is. Pirate. King. Perhaps humanitarian. Yunho’s never asked Jaejoong what he thinks he is. What does he see himself as? Why does he think that he’s the one meant for the Glass Ship?

_Just ask_ , Yunho thinks to himself, striding over to the bed where Jaejoong is charting maps.

Yunho can only hold his curiosity at bay for so long, can only stand to be in the dark, prisoner or no, for so long, and a demand is on the tip of his tongue, springing from his mouth before he can stop himself.

“Why?”

Jaejoong looks up, eyebrow quirked. 

“Why…why the ship? Why do you think you’re the one to captain it?”

Jaejoong raises his other eyebrow, both reaching up into his hairline as he rights himself, feel folding beneath his legs, papers and quill shoved off to one side of the bed. “I never said that.”

“You said you wanted the Glass Ship!”

“But I never said I thought I was the one to captain her, Yunho. What made you think that?”

He looks genuinely confused, brows now dipping down into a frown along with his mouth and Yunho feels like the wind’s been knocked out of him. He certainly hadn’t imagined it. At least, he doesn’t think so. “Who then? Changmin? Junsu?”

“Have you even been reading the books we acquired from the library?”

“Yes!”

“Clearly not the right ones. Not me, Yunho. Not Junsu not Changmin not Yoochun not Heechul. _You_.”

Yunho blinks. 

“ _You_ , you complete idiot.”

“What are you saying?”

“There’s a reason no one’s piloted this ship before, Yunho, and not just because it’s hard to find and people keep killing off the Key to prevent it. You remember when you first came on board and I told you I didn’t just want you for a Key, that I thought you had potential to be so much more?”

“Potential to be a pirate,” Yunho scoffs, though his heart isn’t really in it. 

“No. Potentially not just the Key but also the Captain of the Glass Ship.”

Yunho blinks. “Captain. You think—no. Jaejoong, the Key is not the Captain.”

“Says who?” Jaejoong asks, “What legend or book or story or lore has ever said the two are separate people? It _makes sense_ that the person with the ability to find it and unlock its secrets is also the person with the ability to Captain it. Yunho, you’re _not_ a pirate. That’s the whole point! The Captain of the Glass Ship is supposed to be pure of heart, a person of good intentions, a person of sound mind! Someone kind and sweet and able to _help_ people. Someone brave and strong and self-sacrificing; a _leader_. You’re all those things, even if you don’t see it yourself.”

“I’m not a leader.”

“You have the ability to be one.”

“To what end? What’s the point, Jaejoong? What am I supposed to _do_ with the Glass Ship once I find it? Fly around and bless babies? Join the Watchmen? Join you? _What is the point_?”

“Are you happy?”

Yunho lets out a breath. “Excuse me?”

“Are you happy, Yunho? With your life, with the world?”

Was he? He hadn’t liked growing up on the street, constantly in fear of his life. He hadn’t like the ways he’d made money trying to stay alive and honestly wouldn’t wish it one anyone, not even a mortal enemy. Before staying on with Jaejoong and his crew, Yunho hadn’t lived so well in years. But Jaejoong is a pirate and that’s not really a life Yunho wants to live either.

So no, he’s not really happy. But that’s not something a Glass Ship can fix.

“I can’t do anything about that.”

“But you can. The Glass Ship is a legend, Yunho, as is its Captain. People will follow you because of it.”

“To what, Jaejoong? Towards what?”

“A better life? A better society? A better government than the Watchmen?”

“I know nothing of that.”

“Bull shit,” Jaejoong hisses, “You lived it, Yunho. You lived a life on the street whoring yourself out for dinner. You lived in filth and squalor not knowing if you were going to wake up alive. And you’re not the only one. There are thousands of people like that, thousands of people that need better lives. That want to be happy.”

Hearing it from Jaejoong’s mouth is jarring. Those are the sorts of memories Yunho never wants to remember, things he had to do to stay alive so that the Key to the ship wouldn’t be lost with his death. He couldn’t keep himself happy; there’s no way he could keep everyone else happy. He doesn’t even know where to start.

“It’s not me,” he says, even as Jaejoong takes his hand. “It’s not me, Jaejoong.”

“You have to admit,” Jaejoong presses, “You’re a much better option than I am.”

But thinking about it for a moment, Yunho’s not sure even that’s true. Jaejoong has people that love him. Jaejoong’s already a king. Jaejoong knows how to be a leader. Jaejoong has everything, even if he kills people, even if he’s a pirate. Yunho has nothing but the way to find a ship that could potentially destroy the world—or make it new. His grandfather had never talked about how to know who the Captain of the Glass Ship is or how to go about using it after it had been found. Yunho knows he is on his own in this and Jaejoong is just making it all too clear: he can’t be a captain and he certainly can’t be _the_ Captain.

“Just think about it,” Jaejoong asks.

“I don’t have to think about it.”

“Well, do it anyway. It’s the only thing that makes sense. For what it’s worth I think you can do it. Yunho, just because you don’t have answers _now_ doesn’t mean you can’t learn. You just have to want it.”

Yunho doesn’t know if he wants it; he thinks he’s made that perfectly clear. “You’re so dumb,” he says, “I can’t even stand it.”

“Think of it this way,” Jaejoong returns, “at least now you know you won’t have to steal the Ship out from underneath my nose since I don’t want to be its captain.”

_But you do want the Ship,_ Yunho thinks. Jaejoong just wants Yunho to have it, which might actually be worse.

“But alright,” Jaejoong continues, “Let’s just focus on finding the last relic. We can argue about captainship later.”

—

It’s another three agonizing days full of liquor and the stench of sex before Junsu finds something. Yunho’s all too happy to leave Yoochun to denying the whores that come to their door every five minutes and sit next to Junsu and Jaejoong to peer at a map. No one’s quite sure where Changmin has gone but Yunho’s at least sure that he’s left the building; no girls for him, not if the sounds coming from the adjacent room he shares with Yoochun and Junsu are any indication.

Yunho decides that he has no place being jealous.

“We need to be super clever about this,” Junsu starts, “It took so long because I thought it wouldn’t be out in the open, but apparently either the Watchmen are really stupid or they don’t realize what they have.”

“It’s with the Watchmen?”

“It’s in a museum,” Junsu corrects, tapping a part of the city blueprint in the corner, “In a precious gems display. I found it advertised in the newspaper!” He grins, pleased with himself. “Anyway, it’s been there for months and is being hailed as one of the world’s greatest crystals.”

“A museum,” Jaejoong muses, sitting back, “Well, it’s better than in a Watchmen vault with heavy guard.”

“But not much better,” Yunho says, “I think I’ve sold oranges near there. It’s pretty well guarded.”

“Well it’s the Watchmen’s museum of treasures collected from all the cities they’ve overtaken,” Jaejoong says darkly, “I’m sure it is well guarded. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get inside.”

—

Yunho tries not to think about morals as Junsu teaches him how to pick locks with magic. He makes it sound a lot simpler than it is and after a few very unsuccessful days of lock meddling attempts, Changmin finally hypothesizes that something is wrong. 

“It’s like you’re blocked,” he says, frowning, “like there’s this _thing_ keeping you from pouring out magic or perhaps something missing that needs to be in place.”

“The Ship?” Junsu asks.

“Maybe,” Changmin taps a thin finger on his chin, “that’s the most likely explanation. Besides you being completely incompetent, anyway.”

“Wow, thanks. That makes me feel loads better.”

“Anytime.”

“Leave him be,” Jaejoong orders, looking up stacks of paper he’s shifting through, most of which require his signature. 

“Sorry,” Changmin says, though he’s clearly not. Yunho lets it go. Somehow, what matters is that Jaejoong stood up for him. Again. 

“Let’s take a trip to this museum.”

A trip with all the guards and the cameras and Watchmen-friendly citizens in broad daylight. Changmin laughs before Yunho can take a breath to object. But it’s apparently not an incredulous laugh; Jaejoong seems genuinely amused, skin crinkling at the corners of his eyes. “You just want to dress up,” the second in command accuses.

“Um,” Yunho frowns.

“Don’t think too hard,” Jaejoong tells him, “It’ll be great, you’ll see!”

—

“We clearly have very different definitions of the word ‘great,’” Yunho says, appalled.

Dress up—in his mind—means disguises. Masks. Cloaks. Fake IDs. That sort of thing. Dress up—in Jaejoong’s mind—means exactly that. Dressing up. Wigs. Make up. Yunho wants to die.

“Nonsense. It’s the perfect disguise. Everyone knows Jaejoong the _King_ not plain old Jaehee. How do you think we manage to get close to Watchmen to steal their precious things?”

“I’m very uncomfortable wearing all of…this.” He’s at least in pants—albeit ones for girls, the waist riding his hips, but the jeweled belt is a bit much and the hair of his wig is already irritating the back of his neck, weighing his head down. How do girls do it?

“But you look good,” Jaejoong tells him, grinning, “not as good as me and definitely not as good as Junsu but you’ll do.”

Jaejoong, who’s in a full length dress and a black wig and dolled up to the point that he really does look like a girl. 

_No,_ Yunho thinks, _Like a woman._ And definitely not plain or old.

Junsu looks like a totally different person. He seems completely at home wearing a dress, laughing as Yoochun grins lecherously and slides a hand up one of Junsu’s smooth legs, whispering into Junsu’s ear until the laughter dies off and Junsu’s eyes shut, thick mascara sealing the lashes together and the kohl on his eyelids shimmering. He’s gorgeous and completely comfortable with himself; it makes Yunho wonder. But not too much.

“Don’t think too hard,” Jaejoong tells him.

“You say that a lot.”

“Maybe you should listen,” Changmin pipes in, but he too seems enamored by Junsu, and clearly enjoys the sight of Yoochun’s hands all over their boyfriend enough to keep him distracted from being rude.

“Jaejoong,” Yunho starts. He steers away from the lipstick tube that’s suddenly in front of his face. He needs to draw lines with this dress-up thing. Big ones.

“Enough. And that’s Jaehee to you. And Suhyun,” Jaejoong points Junsu whose lips are connected to Changmin. “And you’re Yunji. Got it? Great. Now stop moving.”

“But—“

Red smears across his lips, Jaejoong’s finger following it dabbing carefully and _Jaejoong’s touching my lips_ crosses Yunho’s brain so slowly he doesn’t realize it until after it happens and he freezes, swallowing against his reflection in the mirror Jaejoong holds in front of him.

“We’ll give you a cloak and you can keep the hood up, okay? Since you’re so self-conscious.”

It’s a woman’s cloak, with embroidery and more silk and color than Yunho’s used to wearing. He reaches for the plain, black, leather gloves he usually wears to hide his silver marks but Jaejoong tuts, shoving lacy white ones at him instead.

“Jaejoong,” Yunho pleads, suddenly feeling sick.

“No, Yunho. Wear those. And it’s _Jaehee_.”

“I hate you all.”

“We know,” Changmin responds, teeth blinding underneath swollen lips. “You haven’t actually been subtle about that.”

Well, perhaps hate is a strong word, Yunho thinks, as he watches Jaejoong school his face into something unreadable. He turns away, tugging Yoochun’s hands from Junsu’s body. “Let’s go,” he says, “the sooner we do this the better.”

The crowds of people lining the streets make his cross dressing much more bearable. It’s easy to just blend into the throngs of bodies going about their business and act like they belong there, even with the men that stop to flirt with Junsu—who clearly does this a lot more than Yunho wants to know.

“Wouldn’t have pegged him—her—to be so comfortable,” he says to Jaejoong.

“She’s a flirt,” Jaejoong responds, happy mask back on his face, “but you should look carefully at her hands.”

Yunho does, frowning. Green magic is slithering around Junsu’s fingers, faint enough to not be noticeable unless one is looking for it. “Is he trying to draw attention?”

“ _She_ ,” Jaejoong corrects, “is making sure everyone sees her, sees a _female_ , that way if anyone presses them for information they won’t even question themselves when they see a picture of a male.”

“She’s screwing with their minds?”

“Not at all. Just making herself look undeniably female.”

“But—“

“Enough, just—walk. Just walk, Yunji. We’re almost there.”

They brush off several male prostitutes that try to coerce them, even more people selling things on the street, and they pass several Watchmen (thankfully undetected,) and by the time they reach the museum, Yunho sees the merit of dressing up and decides he isn’t going to complain anymore.

The museum reaches an entire block, white marble glinting gold as the sun starts to set. Pillars several stories high guard the entrances, holding up a balcony stretching around a widow’s peak five times too big for it to actually be called that. It’s as foreboding as Yunho remembers.

“This is a really bad idea.”

“We’ll be fine. Just let us do the talking,” Jaejoong soothes.

Yunho hangs behind them a bit, watching as Junsu flirts with the museum guards as Jaejoong buys them passes. “Rock display is this way,” Junsu says, blowing a kiss to the guard. 

Jaejoong laughs, throwing in a wink of his own and Yunho has to shove down a sudden urge to punch the guards in the face. _You’re in no position to be jealous. You’re in no position to even be saying that word. He’s a_ pirate. Pirate, pirate, pirate. A very pretty pirate, as much as Yunho shouldn’t be thinking it. 

Junsu leads them through the displays of precious gems, rare stones and jewels on display in sealed cases that are alluring, some of them glittering so bright Yunho has to squint as they pass.

“Beautiful,” Jaejoong murmurs. His expression tells Yunho he’s planning on nabbing a few when he comes back. “Very expensive.”

Yunho snorts.

“Don’t be a hater,” Jaejoong chides. 

“That’s the least of my problems,” Yunho says and thinks it’s not really a problem at all. He doesn’t hate anyone, though it’s perhaps that he _can’t_ hate anyone. Not anymore.

“There,” Junsu says, pointing.

The pedestal is the most ornately carved slab of marble Yunho’s ever seen in his life, the swirls of silver on his palms the only things more complicated that he recalls seeing. 

And the relic—the relic takes Yunho’s breath away. It’s nothing like the the others. It’s sleek and opaque with perfectly chiseled holes and grooves that Yunho suspects will fit the other pieces of the relic perfectly. The center of it glows silver and he knows without a second thought that it’s magic. _His_ magic. And regardless of who gets it for him or how they get it, Yunho wants it. Now.

He takes a step forward.

“Wait,” Jaejoong cautions, “Yunji, don’t.”

“I want it,” Yunho breathes, “Please. I want it. I want it now.”

“We’re scoping, Yunji,” Jaejoong tell him, but Yunho barely feels the hand on his arm, “calm down. We don’t want to be spotted, not now that we’re this close to getting.”

“I _want_ it. I need to have it.”

“What the hell?” Junsu hisses.

“Yunji, you can’t. It’s broad daylight.”

“But I want it. And it wants me,” Yunho says, smiling, taking another step forward, happy as he feels the relic thrum in time to the marks on his hand he’s sure are glowing. He reaches down to take one of the lacy gloves off.

“Yunho!” Jaejoong says right into his ear, “Don’t!”

Something latches onto his waist and his roiling stomach tells him it’s Junsu’s magic. “It’s a trap,” Junsu says, “They keep it out in the open like this because they know it will eventually draw the Key here and then they’d find him. We need to leave.”

“No,” Yunho whines, “no, I don’t want to go.”

“Too bad,” Jaejoong hisses, “We’ll get your relic, Yunho. But not now. Sorry.”

 

— 

 

When Yunho wakes up in Jaejoong’s bed he realizes someone had knocked him out. Junsu, he surmises, though he doesn’t feel sick so he hopes he had been unconscious for most of the trip back and not just…unable to remember.

“You’re awake.” Yoochun’s face looms over him.

“What happened?”

“You were about to go rabid and they had to get you out of there before the Watchmen saw you.”

“The relic.” 

“Yes. But you need to stay put. They went to get it.”

Already? How long has he been out? A quick glance to the lantern burning at the table and the shadows lengthening against the wooden floor is a good enough answer. 

“Are you going to go crazy again?”

Yunho frowns. “No. I can’t feel it anymore. Maybe I’ll bathe before they get back.”

Yoochun nods. “Alright. But I have a thick and heavy stick if you try to run out the door.”

“Was I that bad?”

“Jaejoong wasn’t very happy,” is all Yoochun says and goes to sit in a chair by the door. There is indeed a stick leaning against it.

“Right,” Yunho says, swinging his legs around, “I’ll just…go, then.”

He makes sure the water is scalding before dumping some sort of soapy concoction into the tub and then sinking into it, comfortably propped. He decides to not think about anything for awhile and allows himself to drift off to sleep.

— 

It’s three hours before they come back, grinning as sirens wail in the distance, a black bag carefully hung on Junsu’s shoulder. 

Yunho immediately wants it, hands stretching out for it automatically and he breathes a sigh of relief when he finally touches it, smoothing it over with the pads of his fingers.

“Huh,” Yoochun says.

“Told you,” Junsu grins, “It’s like…his girlfriend or something.”

“Shut up,” Yunho mutters, “I just—it feels right.”

“Good,” Jaejoong coos, and there’s a thunk from where his cloak lands onto the floor. He’s got another bag that Yunho’s sure is full of those other gems the captain’d been eyeing earlier. “Get the other pieces, Junsu.”

There’s no detective work at all. Yunho fits them together as easily as sheathing a sword and in moments a miniature version of what Yunho assumes is the Glass Ship is sitting on the table and humming with energy. It’s small: a sleek, thin body with ripples of crystal that makes it look ready to either unfold into a menace and a half or pierce as is right through another ship’s hull. 

“It’s beautiful,” Junsu says, “but I don’t think we’re closer to knowing what it actually does. Or where it is.”

“See if it’ll hover,” Changmin suggests, “or if you can push it around with your marks.”

“I don’t know,” Yunho says, “I mean. What if it does something else?”

“I don’t think it’s going to hurt you,” Changmin says, perhaps a bit more snidely than he should have. Yunho tries not to grin when Jaejoong smacks the back of Changmin’s head.

But Yunho does want to try. He still feels the call of it, wants it near him, and so he picks it up tentatively, watching as it rises into the air without a sound. It hovers only a moment, before it starts to glow, pulsing out light from its core. Yunho’s marks flare with each push from the miniature ship; he can feel each thrum resonate through his entire body, sliding up his arms and across his torso, down his legs. In his next breath, quite suddenly, the silver marks being to stretch, just a few millimeters, up his palms towards his wrists. 

Then the pain starts.

He’s screaming, though he only knows it because someone—Jaejoong—is holding him, whispering into his ear, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t help. The heat is excruciating and Yunho wants to shut his eyes and black out but he can’t. He’s immobilized, watching as the silver burns it’s way up his skin, lines criss-crossing his flesh and dots and marks and symbols searing into his arms and his chests and by the time it reaches his legs it’s two wide lines down the sides of them that pool in unbelievable pain at the bottom of his heels and the tips of toes.

Sweat has soaked his clothing and he’s shaking uncontrollably as the pain finally recedes.

Jaejoong and Junsu have him wrapped in their arms and almost instantly, as Yunho’s screaming turns into whimpers, Junsu’s magic runs over him, soothing any residual shocks. 

Yunho doesn’t get the urge to spill his lunch; he’s not sure the pain had been worth it.

“Yunho?” Jaejoong asks carefully. “Are you ok?”

_Of course I’m not_. Yunho snorts, not yet trusting himself to speak.

“What the hell was that?” Yoochun asks, eyes wide and skin paler than normal.

Yunho gives Changmin the best glare he can muster. 

“I swear I didn’t know it was going to do that.”

“I’ve never read anything about this happening,” Jaejoong continues. His finger traces a silver line on Yunho’s skin. “Does that hurt?”

“No,” Yunho tries to say, though it doesn’t sound like that, having just scream his throat raw. Jaejoong seems to understand, though, because he doesn’t stop, brushing his fingers over the new marks 

“I’ll get you a drink,” Changmin offers.

Junsu abandons him for Yoochun who’s not pale enough for death and it’s only the brush of Junsu’s fingers and magic that makes his color start to return. “Good gods what the hell was that?” he asks again. 

“I don’t know,” Jaejoong admits. “It’s…weird. I don’t recognize any of these symbols or the writing.”

Yunho refuses to look until he knows he can speak so he stays with his head in the crook of Jaejoong’s shoulder and his fingers gripping Jaejoong’s elbows until Changmin comes back with a mug of steaming tea. “Laced it with some old-fashioned alcohol,” he says.

The burn on his tongue is nothing compared to what he had just experienced so Yunho drinks it quickly letting the alcohol settle in him and send tingles out to all his nerves. 

“Fuck all of you,” he says, when he trusts his vocal chords to work. Changmin’s the only one that laughs.

“Can you move?” Jaejoong asks.

His muscles are sore and he winces a little, happy when Junsu soothes them with his magic. “The sickness is gone,” he tells them and Junsu envelopes him in a swirl of green magic and warm arms, sighing in happiness.

“I think,” Changmin says, “that just solved your problem with magic. Albeit painfully.”

“No residual pain?” Jaejoong asks, “Junsu, let him go.”

Junsu’s arms leave him and then his shirt follows and Yunho suddenly feels very self conscious as four pairs of eyes lean in close to examine his skin. He thinks it’s Jaejoong’s fingers following the lines again, or maybe he just wants them to be. He’s not sure he knows anything anymore.

“What is it?” Yoochun asks. “Schematics? I can’t read any of it. And what’s this?”

“What’s what?” Yunho asks, feeling Yoochun’s finger press into the center of his back, right in between his shoulder blades.

“It’s a huge…well. It’s a star. I mean. Sort of. There’s lots of writing around it. At least I think it is.”

Breathing calmed and pain finally gone completely, even the lingering tingles, Yunho stretches both of his arms out staring down at the lines and dots and words and he frowns. “How stupid are you? Are you _illiterate_?” he snaps.

“He’s not dumb you complete waste of—“ Changmin pauses. “Wait. Can _you_ read it?”

Yunho blinks. “What? Of course.” He points to a dot on his elbow with characters next to it, “This is the capitol,” he points to his forearm, “and that’s the mountain we passed the other day and this is the stream that goes—“ he stops.

“Oh gods,” Changmin whispers.

“Wait,” Yunho breathes, gripping Jaejoong’s hand tight as he comes around to stare Yunho in the eyes. Jaejoong looks breathtaking, just this side of ecstatic. “Wait. Is there…is there a _map_ burned into my skin?”

Jaejoong smiles, warm and happy and Yunho can’t look away. “I think there is.”


	7. Seven

Yoochun spends hours carefully transcribing the lines and symbols from Yunho’s body onto paper. When his hand starts to shake from the strain, Changmin takes over and Junsu massages the kinks and aches from Yoochun’s muscles, kissing him until he falls asleep.

Jaejoong sits with Yunho, holding his hand, helping him keep still when all he wants is to move his spine a bit so _his_ muscles don’t fall apart. It’s not fair that Yoochun gets a back rub and Yunho still can’t move. “You’re cute when you pout,” Jaejoong leans into to tell him. “Only a little bit longer, Changmin’s almost done.”

“Shouldn’t we be fleeing?”

“That’s what they expect us to do. We’ll leave in a bit, just not yet.”

“It’s not going to disappear. Can’t I rest a little?”

“We have no idea if it’s staying forever or not. We need to get it now just in case.”

Yunho pouts a moment more before asking hopefully (and very quietly because if Changmin hears it’ll be the beginning of the worst sort of teasing,) “Is this something I can order out of you?” _Kiss out of you_ , his subconscious chuckles.

“No,” Jaejoong says, but Yunho doesn’t feel bad about it because Jaejoong smiles at him and something about the way his eyes crinkle in spite of themselves and thumb rubs the back of Yunho’s hand says _later_.

Later what? Yunho wonders. Later Yunho can order Jaejoong around and Jaejoong can dole out consequences? Or is he reading this all wrong?

 _Question_ , his conscious poses, _what is it that you want, exactly?_

Well, that _is_ the million dollar question, isn’t it? What does he want? Because what he has is a Glass Ship which he is supposed to captain despite the fact that he has no idea how. He also has Pirate King that initially he didn’t like very much but now can’t get out of his head because his smile is sweet and his hands are gentle he wants to help. And Yunho can only think about kissing him. It’s extremely unfair and he wants answers.

Yes, that’s what he wants. He wants to know if he should captain the Glass Ship and if Jaejoong would teach him how and what he should do with it and if Jaejoong wants to kiss him too.

Wait.

“Ok,” Changmin says, “that’s the last of it.”

Yunho collapses, happy to shove his strange revelation to the back of his mind and stumble to a bed. Pillows have never felt so good. But staying still for so long has caused him to sweat and he really doesn’t want to feel any dirtier so he heaves himself back up despite his protesting muscles. “I’m going to wash again.”

“We can decipher this in the morning,” Changmin says, “I think we all need some rest.” 

Yoochun and Junsu are long gone and Yunho has come to recognize the look in Changmin’s eyes: Changmin wants to be with them. “See you in the morning,” he says, piling the papers on the table, careful to make he doesn’t smudge any ink.

“Are you really alright?” Jaejoong asks, once they’re alone. Yunho’s skin tingles where Jaejoong rests his fingers on it, brushing up a forearm.

Physically, Yunho feels fine. No lingering burn (besides where Jaejoong is touching him,) no strange side effects, (besides Jaejoong’s presence making his head spin,) so he nods. He doesn’t trust himself to speak. He doesn’t trust himself to do anything.

He’s never bathed twice in one day in his entire life, but nothing’s ever felt so good, though not good enough to distract him from his own thoughts. Especially since all this thoughts are on Jaejoong.

Before today there hadn’t been anything keeping him from bolting once his part was over. He had been kidnapped, he was supposed to find the ship and then maybe bolt with it. But now…now it’s different. Now Jaejoong tells him he’s the captain and now he has a _map_ to find the ship burned into his skin (possibly forever) and there’s no way he’d survive without help. A body tattooed with silver is not easy to hide. 

His thoughts drift towards Changmin and his silver tongue. Changmin’s a bastard, but a fair one, and despite having lied to Yunho, having him back on his “friend list” has been nice. Yunho thinks about Yoochun, whom, sad to say, he hasn’t had much interaction with, but Yunho thinks he’d actually like that very much. Yoochun seems kind and honest and warm-hearted, despite his penchant for being strict with the crew.

And then there’s Junsu, who throws magic around like he’s just breathing air and has split personalities which, if Yunho is being honest (he is, and painfully so,) are both endearing qualities. Yes, Junsu’s killed some people, but he’s saved people too—he’s saved Yunho.

Which leaves Jaejoong. Jaejoong who’s taken care of Yunho like no one ever has, not even his family for the short time he knew them. Jaejoong whose touches burn Yunho’s skin and set every nerve tingling in his body when they’re in the same room. Jaejoong and his perfect skin and perfect body and (again, _honestly_ ,) his perfect everything. Jaejoong’s killed people too, but Yunho knows he’s saved ten times that. He can’t ignore the way Jaejoong is worshipped when they’re in the cities Jaejoong has set up and protects. Yunho can’t ignore the way Jaejoong seems to _know_ everyone and actually care about them. Yunho can’t ignore the way Jaejoong seems to care about _him_ , especially. They kiss, for all that Jaejoong names it consequences. 

_You know what you have to do_ , his conscious tells him and Yunho swallows. He knows it’s not his conscious. He knows it’s not a voice of one the gods or a split personality hissing all these things into his ear. It’s _himself_ , knowing all along what the right thing to do is and it’s his stubbornness keeping him from doing it.

But not any longer.

Yunho grabs a cloth, plunging it into the water quickly turning cold. His skin is pride, he thinks, and scrubs, pulling away his inhibitions and frustrations and fears about everything: about the Ship, about being a captain, about Jaejoong and most importantly, about himself. They swirl in the water as he steps out and as they drain away, Yunho knows exactly what he has to do.

Jaejoong’s sitting in bed when he walks out, reading for once, instead of writing or signing documents. 

“Jaejoong,” Yunho starts, and reminds himself that all the reasons he has for not doing this he just threw away and he’s never going to see them again. “I—need you.”

Jaejoong blinks. “You want me to do something?”

“Yes.”

He just doesn’t know how to ask for it. He doesn’t know what Jaejoong will think of it, doesn’t know what it will mean if he gets it. _No hesitation_ , he reminds himself, but Jaejoong doesn’t let him get any further, tugging Yunho’s head down to press their lips together. 

Consequences. It means Jaejoong accepts the consequences of whatever Yunho wants.

“Tell me. I’ll listen. I’ll obey.”

“Why?”

“Because I trust you.” 

“But—“

“Say it. What do you want?”

Yunho exhales, breath feathering over Jaejoong’s face and he chews his bottom lip a moment, nearly collapsing underneath the firm press of Jaejoong’s body against his. “A kiss.”

It’s not much different from the _consequences_ a moment ago, besides Yunho naming it a kiss instead. “Another,” he demands. He can’t deny it, can’t ignore the want any longer. He can’t push Jaejoong away. “More,” he whispers, fingers twined through Jaejoong’s hair, Jaejoong arms tight around his neck, “ _more, please_ ,” he begs. They both know this isn’t an order. None of things he’s asked of Jaejoong have been, and admitting that breaks a dam that’s been clogging his soul. He can’t make Jaejoong do anything. More importantly, Yunho knows, Jaejoong cannot make _him_ do anything. He never has.

“You should bathe more often,” Jaejoong tells him, gasping as Yunho bites a line across his jaw and gets his mouth on Jaejoong’s birthmark, “if it leads you to revelations like this.”

Yunho just kisses him again, a strange sort of fever clouding his brain, and runs a thumb against Jaejoong’s collarbone, over his shoulder, down his back and _gods, I’m an idiot. I’m the biggest moron to have ever lived for not admitting to myself that_ — 

“Yunho.”

When had they ended up laying on the bed? Jaejoong doesn’t untangle their legs or try to wiggle out of Yunho’s arms, but he does move his head so that he can look straight into Yunho’s eyes.

“Sorry,” Yunho blurts, before Jaejoong can tell him to go jump off the roof, “I’m…sorry.”

Jaejoong only laughs. “What brought this on? Not that I’m complaining.”

“I just—it’s _burned into me._ I was just sitting there thinking about all of you and all of this and I realized…I mean, I have a silver tattoo all over my body. It isn’t going anywhere, I know that, not if the ones on my hands haven’t disappeared and I can’t hide that. I can’t hide from any of this and I don’t know what to do about it and I realized…you’re all I have. You and the others you’re—well, you’re pirates and cruel, but nice even though I get upset when you kill people but I don’t have friends. I don’t have family. I have no one to help me through this except you.”

His desire to kiss Jaejoong has completely fled and it’s turned from him pinning Jaejoong down on the bed to Jaejoong cradling him as Yunho feels his eyes start to sting.

“Help me,” Yunho pleads, breathing in slow to calm his sudden wave of emotion, tucking himself into Jaejoong’s warm body and shuddering against his arms, “Please help me.”

“Oh, Yunho,” Jaejoong whispers, right into his ear, as the tears start to fall, “what on earth do you think I’ve been doing?”

 

— 

 

They decide to leave the next day, too nervous about the gold mine now etched into Yunho’s body to stay much longer. Changmin rolls the carefully copied maps and packs them gingerly in a sack, looping the rope around himself several times and then separately tying them to his wrists. “No one is getting this without a fight,” he growls, when Yoochun tries to make a joke about it. It’s not as if anyone could possibly know what they have—as far as the Watchmen are concerned it was a group of women that stole the piece, not a group of men.

Yunho is really starting to see the wisdom of cross dressing. He might not even complain if he ever has to do it again (though he secretly hopes not. He’s not sure his heart could take seeing Jaejoong like that again, not after all the kissing.)

He’d woken up to Jaejoong’s hands sliding into his hair and a mouth sucking hickeys into his collarbone and they’d spent and undetermined amount of time—forever, Yunho thinks, dreamily—making out, with sheets getting tangled around them and Yunho trying to touch more and more and more of Jaejoong’s skin until he’d realized Jaejoong’s shirt was practically off and the embarrassment had sunk into stomach and he panicked.

But Jaejoong had been kind, as always, and laughed it off, kissing Yunho’s cheek.

It’s far from over, because Yunho wants to kiss him again and wants to feel him again and he’s sure Jaejoong wants the same thing but it’s going to have to wait. Because they have a ship to find and before that, they have a capitol to escape, and they have to be sure to not be killed in the process.

But Yunho’s doing it with them, of his own volition, and that makes everything okay.

Surprisingly, Junsu’s the first to notice, though it’s probably because Changmin and Yoochun are too busy making eyes at each other to see Jaejoong’s head against Yunho’s shoulder and Yunho press his lips to Jaejoong’s temple. 

Junsu’s infectious (and triumphant) laugh has Yunho pulling away because he isn’t ready to face them yet, he isn’t ready to deal with the teasing he _knows_ is coming, but Jaejoong holds him in place. And the gods help him, Yunho will do anything Jaejoong asks if it means pleasing him. 

“Finally,” Junsu shrieks, so loud both Changmin and Yoochun reach over to whack at him, “ _Gods_.”

“Please don’t,” Yunho asks, trying to sound calm.

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this?” Junsu asks, “It’s like all my dreams come true.”

“Excuse you,” Yoochun cuts in, “you told me that last night when my tongue was—“

“No really,” Yunho insists, “please don’t.”

“That’s different,” Junsu huffs, and Yunho can see a bit of green leak out of his fingertip. He has no idea what that means. “Your tongue was—“

“Someone please shut them up.”

“Just this once,” Changmin agrees, “because I kind of want to tease you too. But since I’m feeling kind…” Shutting them up involves Changmin plopping himself in Junsu’s lap to kiss him until his eyes glaze over. “And you,” he says to Yoochun, but the rest of the sentence is lost as Changmin leans over to whisper in his ear. 

Unorthodox, at least for Yunho, but it works. Changmin’s grin is smug as he slides off Junsu’s lap. “I suggest you get your facts straight and your blush under control before my blackmail wears off.”

“Blackmail,” Jaejoong huffs. He clearly knows what that means and Yunho makes a note to never, ever ask him about it. Some things are best left shoved to the back of his mind and never considered or acknowledged. But it’s nice that Changmin is sort of looking after him, standing up for him. Like a friend.

“Are we ready?” Jaejoong continues, “We’ve overstayed our welcome.”

Walking back through the streets is more nerve wracking than when they had walked through them a few days earlier. But this time, Yunho’s holding onto Jaejoong willingly, finding his presence and the thumb rubbing against his palm soothing. 

Yoochun sighs from behind them. “Can I talk yet, Changmin? _They’re holding hands._ It’s killing me.”

“No,” Changmin says, “Not quite yet. Soon, though.”

“Not too soon,” Yunho pleads. He doesn’t like the sparkle in Yoochun’s eye. Not at all.

“Soon enough,” Yoochun says, and sounds like a blood thirsty pirate about to steal a ship.

Oh, wait.

“This is such a terrible idea,” Yunho says faintly, turning his panicked face to Jaejoong.

“That’s not what you said last night.”

“ _Oh my god_ ,” Yoochun groans, “Please, Changmin. Please let me say something. I can’t take this.” 

“You may not.”

“Terrible, terrible, terrible,” Yunho echoes, as Yoochun whines and Changmin tucks him underneath his arm while he steers Junsu around Yunho and Jaejoong to the front.

“You shouldn’t have asked him to deflect it. It’s going to be so much worse now, once he lets them at you.”

“I should have known there would be ulterior motives.”

“Don’t worry,” Jaejoong says, abandoning Yunho’s hand to slide an arm around his middle, “I’ll be with you every step of the way. And you know…I have blackmail of my own if they get to be too much.”

“I’m so frightened,” Yoochun drawls.

“You should be,” Changmin tells him, “Junsu’s the only person here that’s actually behaving.”

It’s already far too much information. Yunho can work with them but as far as their relationship dynamics are concerned, he’s not interested and doesn’t think he ever will be. “Terrible,” he says again, deflating.

“Not everything,” Jaejoong whispers, but it’s loud enough for Yoochun to hear and he groans, twisting around so he can give Yunho a raised eyebrow.

“When I’m not under the Evil Lord’s hold,” he promises, “I have so many things I want to say, most of which are very inappropriate jokes. Prepare yourself.” 

“Oh, he will,” Jaejoong says, grinning.

Yunho wants the ground to swallow him whole.

“I’m. _Dying_ ,” Yoochun shrieks. “Changmin, I’m begging you. I’m being baited, you have to admit it.”

“I can’t control Jaejoong,” Changmin says dismissively, “and I’m beginning to think I can’t control you. We’ll have to discuss this. In depth.” Junsu’s started laughing, green magic bubbling up in him and making his eyes sparkle with color. It’s probably the reaction Changmin had wanted because they smile at each other some sort of unspoken understanding between them that makes Yoochun start to whine. It’s obviously not something Yoochun likes happening. “Well,” Changmin says in response to whatever Yoochun’s is frantically whispering to him, “maybe you should have thought of that before you opened your mouth. We’re going on ahead,” he tells Jaejoong, and propels the three of them until they’re lost in the throng of people in the marketplace.

“Do I want to know?”

“No,” Jaejoong says, “but you should anyway, now that you’re staying.”

“Give me the short version.”

The look he receives is unimpressed, but Yunho slips into his please buy my oranges I’m an orphan and living on the streets pout and Jaejoong cracks. “At first it was just Changmin and Junsu, but Junsu was erratic back then and had a very difficult time controlling himself and even though he listened to Changmin best, it wasn’t helping and he was slowly going insane. When Yoochun came into the picture he suggested that maybe Changmin keeping Junsu in control all of the time and not just when he was using magic might help to solidify it in Junsu’s mind that Changmin’s in charge when Junsu doesn’t have enough presence of mind to be.”

“And it worked?” Yunho asks, a little surprised.

“Sort of. They were very reluctant so Yoochun volunteered to show them how it might work.”

“So Yoochun worked?”

“Yoochun worked,” Jaejoong nods, “and when he and Changmin were able to get Junsu’s malevolent side under control they started teaching him to control someone else. Sometimes it’s Changmin and Junsu, sometimes it’s Junsu and Yoochun. They trust each other, and Junsu doesn’t go crazy on power and send the world spiraling into fire and doom and death. That’s all that’s important, really. Is that going to be a problem?”

“No problem,” Yunho assures him, swallowing. He doesn’t know why it makes him nervous, so for the time being it’s probably best to just not think about it.

“So it’s something you like?”

 _I don’t want to have this conversation_ , Yunho thinks, and presses his lips together as Jaejoong laughs. His fingers tighten against Yunho’s, maybe as a promise, maybe as something else, maybe as nothing at all, but it makes Yunho feel better all the same.

“There’s a reason Junsu’s the only magician with that much power. All the others have gone mad.”

“Because they didn’t have Yoochun and Changmin?”

Jaejoong smiles. “That’s one way to put it.”

They weave through the marketplace unhindered, even when Jaejoong stops to buy Yunho a scarf, draping it over the skin peeking out from under the top of his cloak and showing the tips of silvery lines. The captain fingers them a moment. “I’m going to have to explore this map more thoroughly.”

“Isn’t that why we copied it onto paper?”

“Not with my eyes, you virgin.”

Yunho’s certainly isn’t a virgin, but he blushes, thinking of Jaejoong’s mouth on him and his tongue tracing the lines down his back and around his sides and—“I’m not going to survive you,” Yunho whispers, voice cracking. It’s not that he isn’t interested—because his body is singing a completely different tune—but good gods. They’re in public. They’re supposed to be escaping.

“I’m sure we can find a way for you to live through all of this.”

“I don’t know,” Yunho says, swallowing as Jaejoong looks up at him through his bangs, “I really don’t know.” He _does_ really want to kiss Jaejoong, though, and after a moment’s hesitation thinks _fuck it_ , and in the middle of the marketplace with people bumping into them and swearing at them and the sun warm on Yunho’s skin and Jaejoong’s face warm under his fingertips, Yunho does exactly that.

It’s perfect but for the hands that yank them apart only a second later. There’s a blur of movement and a rush of sound before Yunho realizes someone—Watchmen—are hauling him away from Jaejoong, men pressing him down onto the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Yunho sees Jaejoong roll his eyes as the Watchmen scream, “It’s the Pirate King!” and shove Jaejoong’s face into the dirt. Yunho’s a little offended Jaejoong isn’t blasting anyone with his magic.

But it doesn’t matter because the Watchmen’s attention shifts to Yunho as someone yanks his cloak and scarf off, revealing the silver lines on his shoulders. The gloves come off next and there’s a moment of stunned silence that’s only broken by one of the Watchmen saying faintly, “It’s the Key.”

The phrase echoes around the gathering crowds and Yunho can imagine people craning their necks to see over the heads of the Watchmen and catch of glimpse of him. Are they happy? Sad? Do they want the Watchmen to have him? Yunho wishes he could ask. It’s not the place or time, and someone’s clamped a hand over his mouth like he could speak them all into oblivion. Maybe he can; he hasn’t had much time to experiment with his now free flowing magic.

But no one does anything after the initial surge of energy. No one moves, no one speaks, and Yunho doesn’t panic because a wave of green magic rolls through the crowd. This is probably why Jaejoong had rolled his eyes and not tried to make an immediate escape. 

Junsu.

Changmin’s beside Yunho in a second, pulling him back up on his feet. Jaejoong’s taken care of the Watchmen holding him down, his black magic finally out and forcing a path through the throngs of people that had gathered to watch almost instantaneously. “Can they really—“

“Don’t be an imbecile,” Changmin hisses, “Junsu could hold off this entire town if he wanted. Now run.”

With black in front of them and green behind them, they sprint down the street. It takes five minutes to reach the ship, and when they do, there’s a Watchmen vessel five times it’s size in their way.

Yoochun lets out a little laugh. “Are they serious?”

Green and black swirl as Junsu and Jaejoong clasp hands and Changmin forces Yunho onto his knees, Yoochun following him. “Hold onto Jaejoong’s legs, it’s about to get really windy.”

Yunho can’t tell if Jaejoong and Junsu are making wind with their magic or if the wind is a side effect of the black and green sweeping around them in swaths, but either way the Watchmen ship, despite the steam puffing from it in exertion, moves out of their way. Yunho can almost hear the ship buckling as it tries to move against the magic holding it in place, and he knows it’s only a matter of time before it either collapses in on itself or explodes. They need to be far away before either happen.

Jaejoong is the one that pulls them up on their feet. “Run,” he yells. Junsu catapults them into the ship, screaming obscenities at them and turning into scary magic-wielding Junsu as more and more green leaks out of his fingertips to replace Jaejoong’s black magic as the Pirate King slams himself into the pilots seat.

“Go!” Changmin yells. Junsu’s elbows sink into Yunho’s ribs just as the door bangs shut and as Yunho’s left gasping for air, Junsu’s on his feet and staring out the window, still wielding his magic like secondary limbs.

Yoochun helps Yunho to a seat. “Are you alright?”

“Bastard,” Yunho wheezes.

“I’m sure once he has all that magic back inside of him, Junsu’ll apologize. Just sit for now.”

“How did you find me?”

“Junsu had some magic attached to you. Like we’d leave our Key with just Jaejoong for protection, especially since all either of you wanted was to make out. Now shut up and maybe I’ll find you some pain killers.”

Yunho focuses on breathing. He has no idea if they’re winning or even if they’re in the middle of a battle. The ship jukes and jinxes, and Yunho hits his face on the bulkhead more than once, but after a time, the sharp turns slow and Changmin visibly relaxes. 

“ _Fuck them_ ,” Junsu explodes, “Are they fucking serious? They were killing people to get them out of the way _fuck them_.”

“Junsu,” Yoochun says, low and cool, and some of the green magic outside of the ship seeps back in through the walls. 

“Fuck them,” Junsu repeats, with less heat, and he collapses onto the floor. But it’s not until Changmin’s hand rests on his shoulder that the rest of the green disappears. His face flushes and Changmin wipes a bead of sweat from the side of Junsu’s face.

“Fix Yunho’s rib,” Yoochun prompts, “you did a number on him earlier.”

Junsu’s on top of Yunho in a second, wrapping arms and magic around him until the pain in his side fades away. “Sorry,” Junsu whispers, “they make me so angry and when I’m angry I just…don’t care about anything except hurting people.”

“It’s alright,” Yunho tells him, suddenly exhausted. His body is draining itself of adrenaline with every breath. “You got us out alive, that’s what counts.”

Junsu’s faces blossoms with a smile. “Right? I’ve been trying to get Changmin to understand that for years.”

“I understand it,” Changmin snorts, “but someone has to keep you in check.”

“You do a wonderful job,” Junsu praises, abandoning Yunho for his other half. Or is it third? Yoochun’s watching them with a smile on his face, fingers tapping out some sort of _look at my brilliant creations_ rhythm with a touch of _even though it’s been years I still like to be thanked_. Who is Yunho to judge, honestly?

“I’m going to pass out,” he announces.

He registers Jaejoong slipping from the pilot’s seat in time for Yunho’s head to fall onto his shoulder. “Wake you when we get there,” Jaejoong murmurs, fingers interlocking with his own.

It’ll be before then, because it’s at least a few days of flying but the idea that he has the freedom to sleep all the time away is very attractive.

He thinks he should say something—good night, see you in the morning, I really want to kiss you when I wake up—but his brain is far from functional and he falls asleep with the soft brush of Jaejoong’s clothed shoulder on his cheek.


	8. Eight

If any of the crew notice a difference in how Jaejoong and Yunho act, they tactfully (and correctly) don’t say anything. Although perhaps there’s nothing for them to see as Jaejoong had been telling them all along that Yunho is there because he wants to be. 

Well, mostly because he wants Jaejoong, and the feeling is reciprocated; Yunho has a lot of hickeys to prove it. He would really like to pin Jaejoong down onto a bed and rip his clothes off, because now every time the captain smiles at him Yunho’s heart stutters a few beats and every time he stretches, Yunho gets a peep at a slice of porcelain skin and his cheeks warm and his mind blurs and all he wants to do is get his hands and his mouth and his tongue all over it.

But fate seems intent on keeping them from that, because the second they dock with Jaejoong’s ship the man Jaejoong had left in charge bombards him with problems that need to be solved _now_ and the captain’s pulled away from him, disappearing into the ship to deal with mechanical failures and disobedient subordinates.

“Come on,” Changmin prods, “we can start on decoding the map on your skin.”

The last thing Yunho wants is to be stuck in a room for hours translating the map, but as it turns out, it doesn’t take as long as he thinks. Changmin picks up on it really quickly; not the language it’s written in, of course, but as soon as Yunho points out some of the major cities and rivers, he and Yoochun start to match each star or dot or line according to a regular map of the world.

“You can go sleep if you want,” Yoochun tells him, “I think we can take it from here.”

“That’s not fair,” Yunho says, even though what he actually means is _there’s no point in sleeping if it’s not with Jaejoong_.

Changmin snickers like knows. “In that case, one of Heechul’s ships is docking with us soon to save on fuel. You can go greet them.”

“Maybe I will.”

“First official pirate duty,” Changmin continues.

Yunho throws a book at his head. He misses by a good two feet.

The ship is a small one when it finally pulls alongside Jaejoong’s massive excuse for a vessel and Yunho’s face lights up when the captain that comes out to greet him is someone that he recognizes.

“Siwon!” Yunho is pleased when his smile is returned. 

“Moving up in the world, I see” Siwon returns. His eyes rest on Yunho’s shoulder where a few lines of silver a snaking around his collarbone. “You have been busy. I hope it was worth it?”

“I think so,” Yunho smiles. “Jaejoong’s busy right now, but…I can find you some rooms?” It’s at least another two days before they get to Heechul, even traveling at full speed with the enhancers Jaejoong has on his engine (which are illegal, but what does he care about that?)

“That’d be great. But first…I have a prisoner. Could we make use of your brig? He’s a little volatile, and I think Jaejoong will want to speak with him.”

Siwon grin is maniacal and Yunho doesn’t understand it until Henry comes out of the ship, holding a handcuffed man roughly by his collar. Henry waves cheerfully, distracting Yunho from recognizing the man (for only a moment,) but when he does, he can’t hide the disgusted twist of his lip. 

Jaejoong’s ex. The Bastard.

“Oh,” Yunho says, “ _you_.”

“Brig?” Siwon asks, still grinning.

“Follow me.”

They meet Junsu half way there and he very eagerly replaces the metal handcuffs with magical rings of green. “Much more effective,” Junsu says slyly, and then once the ex had been tossed into one of Jaejoong’s cells asks, “What’d he do and does Jaejoong need to worry?”

“He tried to steal a shipment of Heechul’s goods. Right in front of Henry.”

“Like I wouldn’t have noticed,” Henry scoffs. Clearly, Heechul’s been teaching him well.

Junsu cackles, a little on the crazy side and Yunho suddenly has a feeling that for some reason, Junsu’s been using a lot of his magic and is currently doing a lot with it. That’s definitely his A Lot Of My Magic Is Outside My Body laugh that requires Changmin to keep him under control. 

After Jaejoong had released Yunho from his bonds, the Pirate King had shared that while keeping handcuffs on someone looks like it doesn’t require a lot of magic, it actually does because you have to maintain control of a person’s body twenty-four seven. By itself, it’s probably not a difficult task for Junsu, but he clearly has magic out and working in other places and this just tipped him over the edge. Or at least it’s about to, if they don’t get to either Changmin or Yoochun.

“Should I speak to him?” Junsu asks.

“Really?” It’s surprisingly possible for Siwon’s face to light up even more than it had been a moment ago.

“I think Jaejoong should talk to him first.” Yunho shakes his head a bit frantically at Siwon; the expressive eyebrows crease in confusion and then raise as he catches on. 

“Oh. Yes, that’s a good idea.”

Junsu doesn’t seem the least bit suspicious and latches onto Henry’s arm. He’s got a sultry look written all across his face and Yunho’s honestly shocked that he isn’t trying to kiss him. “It’s good to see you again. Looks like Heechul was right about Siwon taking to you well.”

“Junsu,” Yunho says, “the last time you saw Henry you fake killed him. Give the boy some space.”

“Henry doesn’t mind. Do you?”

“Um.”

Henry stutters around Junsu’s flirting and Yunho ushers them as fast as he can to Changmin, relieved beyond measure when the second in command is right where he left him. With Yoochun. Yunho doesn’t have to say anything, because Changmin is ridiculously observant and can tell when his lover is using a lot of his power and it’s only a moment before he’s got an arm around Junsu and is making him sit in a chair.

“What’d he do?” Yoochun asks, while giving Siwon a hug.

“Handcuffed Jaejoong’s ex. Where else does he have magic?”

“Everywhere,” Yoochun says, “testing the validity of your map.”

“Every—“ Yunho blinks. “Wait.”

“He’s literally sending feelers across the entire world and checking each point of the map on your skin.”

Well, that would certainly explain the crazy Junsu. 

“We can handcuff him again,” Siwon suggests, “with metal ones.”

“No, don’t worry. He’s under control.” Yoochun smirks, and Yunho shudders a bit. He knows better than to ask how and shakes his head at Henry when he sees the boy open his mouth, the question written all over his face. “More importantly,” he points at Yunho, “you need to get Jaejoong. We know where the ship is.”

“Already?”

“Well, it’s a map and not so hard to read when it’s in a language you understand.”

“Where—“ Siwon starts, but Yoochun waves a hand to him off. “We’re just waiting for my magician boy to confirm. Then we’ll be off and running. Figuratively speaking. Yunho…”

“I’m going,” Yunho huffs, “I don’t even know how Junsu puts up with your bossy ass.”

“Well,” Yoochun starts, a sparkle in his eye. 

“That was a rhetorical question, jerk.”

He leaves before Yoochun can think of something else to say, making a beeline for the bridge and heaving a sigh of relief when Jaejoong’s there, bending over charts with his pilot.

“They found it,” Yunho says simply, and it’s enough to get Jaejoong running. Yunho almost trips five times, too entranced by the sudden spark in Jaejoong’s eye and his hand in Yunho’s, grip tight. He almost runs into a wall because Jaejoong’s smile is so bright Yunho can’t look away.

_You’re an idiot_ , he thinks at himself, as Jaejoong laughs. But Yunho doesn’t really care. If it means being with Jaejoong then he’s happy to be dumb the rest of his life.

“You found it?” the pirate asks, as soon as Yoochun is in sight.

“It’s at the Falls. The fucking _Falls_ Jaejoong, how many times have we been there?”

“Where?”

Not in the glamorous center, Yunho notes, as Yoochun carefully traces the route they’ll need to take to get to where the ship is. Or, at least to where the map on Yunho’s skin says it is. Hopefully they’ve read it correctly and there isn’t some strange code built into Yunho’s skin that the visible map is hiding.

“I’ve flown through that section of crevices and waterfalls a few times. It’s tricky,” Changmin says, “but easy to hide a ship inside. We should be able to find it.”

“You were awesome,” Yoochun says, and it’s to Junsu, who Yunho finally notices collapsed on the floor.

Junsu has really exerted himself, his face pale and breathing shallow, even as Changmin rubs his back, and Yoochun strokes his cheek.

“Oh,” Jaejoong murmurs, “His magic isn’t all back. Time to go. We can plan our course of action later.”

“I don’t want it back inside of me,” Junsu whines, “you can’t make me. It’s too much. I want to leave it out.”

Yunho doesn’t hear Changmin’s response but his tone is firm (gentle) and insistent (reasonable) as he tucks a strand of hair behind Junsu’s ear.

“No,” Junsu pouts, “no, I want to leave it where it is.”

A hand touches his shoulder—Jaejoong’s—and Yunho grasps the fingers tightly, still frowning. “He’ll be alright,” Jaejoong whispers, “Come on, leave them be. This isn’t the first time and it certainly won’t be the last. They’ll have him in tip top shape soon enough, don’t worry.”

As Junsu takes another shuddering breath and Changmin finally slides down to Junsu’s level, lifting him half onto his chest and half onto Yoochun’s, Yunho allows Jaejoong to pull him away. Junsu isn’t his to fix—isn’t _theirs_ to fix. 

“I’ve got something we need to do anyway,” Jaejoong tells him as they head down the corridor and into Jaejoong’s room. _Their room_ , as far as Yunho is concerned. As soon as they’re inside, Jaejoong pushes him up against the door, the rough texture of the wood scraping against Yunho’s shirt. His shoulder blades ache, though only for a moment, forgotten under the press of Jaejoong’s lips. “Interested?”

“Are you joking?”

He doesn’t give Jaejoong a chance to answer, hoisting him up into his arms to give Jaejoong an angle to kiss him as Yunho bangs his knee on a chair, on a table, on a footstool, before they topple onto smooth sheets and he latches onto Jaejoong’s collarbone with his teeth, sucking marks, leaving bites, getting a moan for his trouble. 

“Do you need glasses?” Jaejoong asks, “My mouth is up here.”

“Need to touch everything,” Yunho tells him, but they kiss anyway, something hot and feral coiling him up like a spring and he wants nothing more than to just stay like this—here—forever.

“Better,” Jaejoong breathes, “now kiss my—“

“No,” Yunho puts a hand across Jaejoong mouth, leans in to his ear, exhales warm against it, “no telling me what to do. You’ve done enough of that already.”

Jaejoong says, well _licks_ something against the skin of Yunho’s palm (it’s probably a curse) but Yunho keeps his hand there, sliding them across Jaejoong’s lips and then into his mouth, trying to not let out a curse of his own as Jaejoong sucks in Yunho’s fingers and runs his tongue across them. 

_I’m supposed to be controlling this. I want to make him beg_ , and Yunho cradles Jaejoong’s neck and bend even further to press a nose to his jaw and then bite at the birthmark until there’s a hickey blossoming over it and oh—he’d been right. Jaejoong likes that a lot.

They barely have times to yank each other’s clothing off, skin hot and getting hotter, smooth and bare and silver, Jaejoong’s eyes black as his magic pulses in him and Yunho’s marks starting to glow. The pirate flips them, settling happily on Yunho’s hips and tracing a hand done a line of the map edging around Yunho’s sternum. “I do believe I said I’d explore this map more thoroughly when I had the chance.”

Nerves on fire as the very tip of Jaejoong’s fingernail trails down to a belly button, Yunho can’t find words to express his desire, entranced by the tilt of Jaejoong’s head and the muscles across his his chest. He hears a roar of blood in his ears and through his heart; it rushes straight down to where Jaejoong grinds against Yunho’s cock and quite honestly it’ll be a miracle if Yunho survives this. _Fuck who’s in control, I just want you._ He’s done thinking, done berating himself for not doing this sooner, he just _wants it_.

“Not with your eyes,” he reminds Jaejoong, impatient as the captain’s gaze sweeps his torso again.

“No,” Jaejoong agrees, bending down to place his mouth over Yunho’s heart, “not with my eyes.”

 

—

 

Yunho wakes up to Jaejoong sleeping in his arms and breathing against his shoulder. The intimateness of it hits him something terrible. For a moment he’s struck in awe as he sweeps away Jaejoong’s bangs, smiling as Jaejoong’s pout grows a little and he mumbles something in his dreams. _I like you a whole lot_ , Yunho thinks rubbing the corner of Jaejoong’s mouth because it’s so difficult to resist touching it, touching any part of him. _I like you a lot more than I should for someone that kidnapped me and almost killed me. Several times._

It doesn’t take long for Jaejoong to wake up himself, not with Yunho pressing kisses into whichever part of his body he can reach.

“Good morning,” he murmurs, eyes sparkling as Yunho nearly smothers him in an attempt to get to his mouth.

Yunho only pulls away long enough to mumble something that he thinks sounds like assent.

Last night had been loud: rough but beautiful. Last night Yunho had just succumbed, had just let Jaejoong tell him what to do because he wanted—they both wanted—and Yunho wasn’t going to wait anymore.

But now, as he slides his hands over Jaejoong’s body, he thinks _this is the control I want_ , because Jaejoong is so happy and pliant and willing to let Yunho turn his muscles into butter with skillful fingertips and wring moans out of him one after another after another and Jaejoong’s gasping with an inability to breathe anything but _yunhoyunhoyunho_ as he comes.

And even as Yunho’s shaking from his own aftershocks, he can’t let go, can’t keep his arms from pulling Jaejoong closer and kissing him until they hear a voice through the pipes in the ship shouting that breakfast is being served in the mess.

It’s a irritating jolt into the heaven they’ve made for themselves.

Jaejoong groans. “Here’s the thing,” he says, “I love your marks because otherwise I never would have pulled an fruit salesman onto my ship. But it’s really irritating that we need to do things that aren’t kissing because of them.”

Yunho laughs. “Can’t get everything we want.”

“I usually do.”

They laze awhile more, kissing, laughing, before Changmin knocks on their door and tells them that they’re almost at Heechul’s. “Please come with clothes on,” he adds, and Yunho resolves to kick him when they get up to the bridge.

“We should walk in without shirts,” Jaejoong suggests.

But they wear them anyway. It’s time to be serious; maybe later, post-crisis, they can be smart asses. Yunho thinks that’d be great.

Junsu looks ten times better than he has the night before and Yunho very happily ignores Yoochun’s catcalls in favor of Junsu’s hug. “I”ll refrain from teasing,” Junsu says, “even though it’s obvious that you’ve been fucking. But only because I can see how happy it makes you.”

“Thanks,” Yunho says, unsure if he should be solemn or sarcastic. He lets Junsu take it how he will.

When they land, Heechul attaches himself to Siwon to the point that Yunho’s afraid it will soon become obscene, and only just manages to get his blush under control after Jaejoong pulls them apart.

“What? I missed him,” Heechul says.

“We have a raid to plan.”

“I love raids,” Heechul says, interlocking fingers with Siwon’s, “raiding things is so much fun!” 

“I have something else I think you’ll like before then,” Siwon tells him.

“Your prisoner,” Heechul nods, “yes, show me to him. I’ve got a score to settle with the bastard, not the least of which is him stealing my booty.”

“Trying,” Henry glowers, darkly, and Heechul coos at him, obviously very proud.

Jaejoong had never gotten to speak with his ex-boyfriend (Yunho’s very grateful,) because the captain had been doing much, much more important things, and he clearly doesn’t care to speak with his ex because he takes Yunho’s hand and gives Heechul a wave. “We’ll leave you to it. Junsu, be sure you allow him to walk out of here…if he makes it that far.”

Yunho doesn’t hear his response because he and Jaejoong are already heading up the street. “Not that I mind,” Yunho starts, “but do you really want to miss Heechul kicking his butt?”

“I wouldn’t mind watching,” Jaejoong admits, “but that’ll keep them a good hour at least. I have other things I’d much rather do in that span of time. I’m sure you won’t mind.”

With Jaejoong’s grinning face in his peripheral vision and his fingers warm where they’re clasped in Jaejoong’s, Yunho’s sure he won’t mind either.

When they come out of their room hours later later, clean from a bath and warm and sated from laying in each other’s arms, they find Changmin the only one up and about. “Yoochun and Junsu are napping,” he says, a fond smile on his face. “Heechul is still intimidating your ex and Siwon is watching. Probably gets off on it for all I know.”

“Probably,” Jaejoong nods.

“It’s been a long day,” Changmin starts, “and no one’s here. And it’s been awhile since we’ve had a full meal. I was thinking maybe you could—”

“We have a raid to plan, Shim Changmin.”

“Please? I’m starving. And I love you. Platonically,” he assures Yunho, grinning. 

“Fine. Asshole.”

Yunho’s never had an eve before the battle, or a calm before a storm (figuratively speaking,) but he’s sure that’s what this is. He’s never been so happy in his life, with one arm shoveling Jaejoong’s food in his mouth—which is delicious—and the other arm around Jaejoong’s middle. Yoochun leers at them when Changmin isn’t looking, too busy fussing over an exhausted Junsu. 

“So what other hidden talents are you keeping from me?” Yunho asks, snagging another piece of meat. “Pirate King, magician, chef extraordinaire…can you juggle knives?”

Jaejoong snorts. “That would be disastrous.”

“He’s good at Other Things you already know of, I’m sure,” Yoochun pipes in, grin splitting his face, “that take place on a bed.”

“Do you ever stop?”

“No,” Yoochun shakes his head, “and I never will.”

“He will,” Jaejoong assures him, “once the novelty wears off—or Changmin scares it out of him.”

“Changmin doesn’t scare me.”

Changmin is thankfully still busy trying to get Junsu to eat something.

“This is nice,” Yunho comments, deciding that ignoring Yoochun is probably the best course of action. “Just eating here with everyone.”

Jaejoong leans into Yunho a bit more, turning his head to land a kiss on his cheek once, twice, and Yunho meets him halfway for the third, smiling against his lips. Someone gags in the background.

“It is nice,” Jaejoong agrees, once he pulls away. “Calm before the storm.”

Yunho nods. “I was just thinking that.”

“What a storm it will be,” Heechul says, sounding delighted at the prospect. “The Pirate King has never had to call in his entire fleet to fight all at once but I think we’ll finally get to see that.”

“I’m not bringing in my entire fleet to find a ship. Way too flashy.”

“Flashy’s good.”

“Not until we find the ship.”

Heechul shrugs, a sort of _you’re the boss but I still think it’s crazy_ look on his face that only goes away when Siwon lays a hand on his arm.

Jaejoong puts down his chopsticks. “We should go to bed. We’ll plan in the morning and take off.”

“No time to waste.”

“Well,” Jaejoong says, “a night.” He smiles, sliding a hand down Yunho’s arm to clasp his hand. “We can waste a night.”

Just one.

As Yunho’s pulled from the table and as he follows Jaejoong back down the hall and let’s Jaejoong wrap arms around him again and lock them in their room and kiss him solidly against a wall, Yunho finds himself desperately hoping that they’ll all survive this.

He really, really wants to survive this because now he has a reason to live, something to come back to…some _one_.


	9. Final

Water is cascading over the ship, the ravines so narrow the metal sides threaten to scrape against rock. The pilot is doing a wonderful job, though, and Yunho’s forever thankful that Jaejoong hadn’t asked him to steer the ship through the minefield of waterfalls. So far they’ve given the Watchmen the slip, no sign of their ships (or any ships) nearby, and as they go further and further down into chasms in the earth and sound of the water gets louder and louder, Yunho’s anxiety calms. 

Jaejoong’s hand squeezes his shoulder and Yunho has to fight down an urge to sit on Jaejoong’s captain’s chair and pull Jaejoong into his lap to further settle his stomach.

Junsu’s sitting on Yoochun’s lap (probably why Yunho feels at least a little jealous.) Changmin’s pouring over the maps near enough to his boyfriends that Junsu can tug on his sleeve every now and again to demand attention. “Are we close?”

“I think so.” Changmin doesn’t look at Junsu but he holds onto his fingertips a moment before relaying more instructions to the pilot.

Yunho’s just about to lay down on the floor and take a nap when Junsu gives a shout, his magic slipping back into him, his whole body vibrating in excitement. Before Yunho even looks out the window he knows they’ve found it.

Only the tip of the ship is visible, clouded glass protruding from behind a rock face, though it’s not dirty. There’s a shine to it that makes it seem as if it’ll always be that way even if no one ever cleans it. Jaejoong’s hand is warm against his and they both stand at the same time and head the edge of the bridge, staring down at the ship they’ve been trying so hard to find.

“Get us anchored,” Jaejoong orders, as there’s no place for them to safely land, “It’s time we got that ship flying in my sky.”

The cheers of the crew echoing throughout the entire hull send a rush of adrenaline through Yunho to rival any sort of caffeine or drug. _My ship_ , he thinks, and follows Jaejoong to the hangar bay.

 

— 

 

The Glass Ship is a lot smaller than Yunho had pictured in his mind, smaller even then it had looked from the deck of Jaejoong’s vessel. It’s a carbon copy of the miniature that had triggered the map on his skin, long and thin, the crystal smooth and sleek, looking like muscle waiting to pounce. Yunho’s body ached with a need to touch it, and only Jaejoong’s hand on his arm keeps him from running towards it. It’s large enough to house the five of them and a few extra crew members. It definitely can’t hold any other ships, besides an escape pod, possibly. Who knows if it actually has one?

They approach cautiously, ever aware of the possibility of booby traps, but Yunho is positive there’s nothing. It’s _his_ ship. No one can get near it unless he wants them to be near it and there isn’t one person that he doesn’t want present.

When he finally gets a hand on it, electricity sparks, sending a shudder of warmth through him and rather than making Yunho yank his fingers away, he wants to press in closer.

“How do we get in?” Changmin asks. He’s still giving the ship a wide berth, pacing in front of it with a careful eye, looking for any sort of crack in the hull.

The marks on Yunho’s hands—on his whole body—are glowing as he presses his palms against the glass. He has no idea what he’s doing, but he feels led as he pushes his magic out and onto the glass— _into_ it. There’s no initial reaction, disappointment sneaking the corners of Yunho’s mouth down, but just before he takes his hands away, the glow from his body starts to spread.

A bright point of light draws only a single line at first, but then it starts to branch off like veins that crisscross symmetrically over the ship. Squares of clouded glass fade to clear as the light outlines them: a viewport, a window, a door. Yunho grins as he sees it, pulling his hands away, even as Changmin reaches out to trace the parts of the outline he can reach.

“How do we get in?” he repeats.

Yunho doesn’t touch anything this time, experimenting as he holds out a hand and pushes his magic out. Again, there’s nothing, but it lasts only a second before there’s a familiar hiss of hydraulics (though the sound a lot quieter than what Yunho’s used to hearing,) and the top of the door detaches, lowering itself to the stone.

“So basically you’re the only one that can control the ship.”

“We don’t know that,” Jaejoong tells Changmin, “shut your trap for a bit and let this sink in, gods, Changmin.”

“I’m just saying.”

Yunho grabs onto Jaejoong’s hands before he starts a fist fight. “Come on. You can leave him out here as punishment.”

“ _Hey!_ ”

“Let them go in first,” Yoochun says. Yunho’s already walking up the ramp and he imagines Changmin’s being kissed to soothe his anger. Junsu’s giggling confirms it, even as Yunho and Jaejoong enter the ship.

Everything is made of glass.

The hallway is wide enough for three people to stand abreast, the ceiling giving Yunho just enough room to stand on tiptoe with his arms raised before he can touch it. Handrails run the length of the wall and Jaejoong follows them right first. Yunho keeps his hands brushing against the wall, his magic pulsing through the entirety of his ship— _his ship_ —and he feels the corridor make a tight oval, the engine in the very center, rooms packed efficiently on the outside, glass encasing it all. Glass everywhere.

The door to the bridge slides open, quiet like the rest of the ship. Yunho steps through with ease but something—a forcefield, magic—keeps Jaejoong from entering.

“That’s annoying,” he pouts.

“Give me a second.”

It’s almost like a living entity. Yunho can sense that he’s already been hardwired into the system as the Key, as a welcome person aboard and he takes a moment, examining the systems, marveling at how he just _understands_ them. He’s not sure how he does it, but after a moment, the ship lets Jaejoong through the doorway.

“No wonder everyone was after me. Even if someone were to come across the ship accidentally they’d never get it to move without me.” If anything, it’s incredibly reassuring that no one will kill him to get to the ship, as it would be completely useless.

The bridge is small, as they had anticipated, but structured like Yunho’s never seen. The center chair which would have only been a captain’s on another ship, is also the pilot’s, everything around it connected by glowing lines of light. It’s set further down in the floor, space for legs disappearing underneath a bulkhead of glass with two very obvious places for hands set in it. But there aren’t any control boards.

“I don’t understand,” Yunho frowns.

“Don’t you?” Jaejoong asks. “Yunho, look at it! There’s a plenty of places for other people to sit. It’s like…weapons control, communications, navigation—everything a ship’s command center needs and they’re all connected to the pilot’s seat. _Your seat._ You are the ship, Yunho, the heart of it. You could probably command the entire thing by yourself.”

“But how?”

“With your magic, obviously.”

“That sounds tiring.”

“Take it from someone who knows: you’d be surprised at how long you can use magic before you exhaust yourself. At least enough time to win a battle, especially if this ship is as advanced as it looks.”

The word _responsibility_ weighs heavy on Yunho’s mind. He can’t say he’s not good at it, because he’s never had the opportunity to be responsible for anyone except himself, but watching Jaejoong has led Yunho to the conclusion that it’s not something that comes easy. He has to work at it.

They leave the bridge with their hands entwined again, Jaejoong nodding at the galley layout in approval, the two of them claiming a room for themselves, Yunho barring anyone from entering it without his or Jaejoong’s permission. “Can’t interrupt us anymore,” Jaejoong laughs, “this is so great.”

“They’re gonna bitch that they need the bigger room.”

“Let them,” Jaejoong scoffs, “they love squeezing in next to each other, regardless of what they actually say.”

Yunho grins. There’s only a few other rooms with bunks, a conference room, an ammunitions storage, and the engine is indeed in the center. It pulses as Yunho steps near it and he places a hand over it, feeling a rush of energy as it responds to his touch.

“There’s no way this thing is flying without you,” Jaejoong says again.

Yunho finds he rather likes that, likes the idea of being _needed_.

Jaejoong takes his hand, poking his cheek. “You should let the rest of them in here before Changmin starts shooting at us.”

“I’d like to see him try.”

They laugh on their way back down to the boarding ramp. Changmin’s tapping his foot impatiently, a scowl on his face even with both Yoochun and Junsu on each arm. “Finally.”

“What is like?” Junsu asks.

“Come and see.”

Junsu’s like a five year old child, blowing around the entire ship in the time it takes the rest of them to walk to the bridge. His magic is out, no doubt sinking into it as far as he can, running it over every surface and checking for abnormalities (although technically the entire Glass Ship is abnormal.)

Because he feels like he needs to get back at Changmin for all their past grievances, Yunho denies him entrance the bridge, grinning as Junsu and Yoochun sail past him and Changmin is unable to put a foot over the threshold.

“This is not as funny as you think it is,” Changmin growls.

Except it’s hilarious and as long as it keeps Jaejoong laughing, Yunho’s inclined to do pretty much anything.

“It’s pretty amusing,” Yoochun offers.

“Very,” Junsu agrees. 

“Maybe I’ll just let Junsu decide when you can come inside,” Yunho suggests. Changmin’s face darkens, his eyebrows knitting together and it’s in complete contrast to Junsu’s face which lights up like Yunho just given him the best present in the world.

“Jung Yunho,” Changmin warns, darkly.

Yunho just laughs, hand patting Junsu shoulder. “I’m sure you can come up with an agreement.”

“You evil human being,” Jaejoong chides him, but he’s grinning, tossing a sidelong glance to where Changmin and Junsu are conferring quietly, Changmin just this side of blatantly desperate, and Junsu a devious smile on his face he can’t quite banish. 

“I hope you know that I’m the one that will be suffering from whatever deal they make,” Yoochun tells him.

“Like you actually mind.”

“True,” Yoochun admits, “whatever it is, I’m sure it will be spectacular.”

“No but really,” Jaejoong whispers, “I can’t believe I kiss the _spawn of the devil_. They’re going to gang up on Yoochun and Changmin’s going to let Junsu do all sorts of—“

“I don’t need to know.” Yunho cuts in, and presses his mouth against Jaejoong’s once, twice, before Jaejoong pinches his butt. “Ow.”

“You like it.”

“Maybe a little.”

“You’re just as disgusting as we are,” Yoochun informs them. “Now are we going to see what this ship can do or not?”

Yunho grins.

The glass is smooth under his fingertips and warm. It feels like he’s sliding under the covers of a bed, silk sheets and feather comforters surrounding him and his body is singing at the contact. He’s been waiting his whole life for this and he doesn’t know how he has managed without it. (Though admittedly it’s not as nice as the feel of Jaejoong’s skin—or the feel of Jaejoong’s anything, actually. But still.) He sighs happily. Jaejoong rests a hand on his shoulder.

“Gently,” he murmurs. “Slowly.”

Yunho takes a deep breath and as he lets it out, seeps magic out of his fingers and hands, feeling it course through him before pumping into the ship. Outwardly, nothing happens, but Yunho can feel his magic pulse through the veins of the ship, through the rooms and walls and the engine, through layers and layers and layers of glass. The further he goes, the more of himself he pours into the ship, the stronger he feels. He doesn’t think it’s like Junsu’s magic. He doesn’t have half as much magic as Junsu, or even Jaejoong, but it’s enough. It’s just enough to fill the entire ship.

But he doesn’t expect the ship to push back.

It’s not exactly a separate entity. Or maybe that’s exactly what it is. The distinction, Yunho finds, isn’t important. Something is pressing back against him and after only a moment of resistance, with Jaejoong murmuring support beside him, he lets it in.

And fuck does it hurt. He really hopes it won’t hurt this much every time he wants to fly the ship because he can’t focus, can’t think past the blood in in his veins that feels like a river of knives. It’s twice the pain that the map on his skin had caused and this time he loses consciousness (though he doesn’t know for how long,) coming to with Jaejoong stroking his hair back from his forehead and arms wrapped tight around his torso.

“Breathe,” Jaejoong instructs, when Yunho starts to struggle, “just breathe. Junsu’s getting you water.”

In a moment there’s a cup pressed to his lips and Yunho drinks, spilling liquid over his lips and chin that Jaejoong wipes with his sleeve. “Ok?”

“Fucking hurt.” He’s sure it’s only a one time time thing, though, because there’s no way he can fly a ship and deal with that. Not ever.

“Sorry,” Jaejoong murmurs, as consolation. 

Yunho accepts it with a nod. He’s still connected, his magic and the ship’s energy (or whatever it is,) flowing through him like wires plugged into all the right sockets. 

But he feels so alive. A thrill runs through him when he breathes, feeling the magic in him and in the Glass Ship itself pulse like a heart sending blood through a body in the time of one beat. Jaejoong had been right. Yunho is the center of this ship.

“Yunho,” Jaejoong breathes, “Yunho, your…heart. You’re glowing.”

He was. He was pulsing white out from his chest in time to the beat of his heart and he could feel every single part of the ship (the insides of it, the circuitry,) with every breath he took.

“I’m a heart,” he says faintly.

“Glass heart of a glass ship,” Changmin says thoughtfully.

“I hope I don’t have a glass heart. That could go very bad very quickly.” It’s never good when a heart is pulled from a body and Yunho really hopes he can get out of this pilot’s seat without ruining everything. _Without dying_.

But what better time to try then right now? He’s not sure if he should leave his magic out or not but after a few minutes of attempting to get out of his pod-like pilot’s chair to no avail, he very carefully starts to retract his magic. No one says anything, clearly able to tell he’s concentrating and Yunho’s grateful. Jaejoong’s hand on his shoulder is distracting enough as it is, though welcome.

It’s slow going, painful, and Yunho really wants to leave his magic outside of him. Junsu croons behind because he knows exactly how it feels (Yunho isn’t saying anything, so his discomfort must show on his face.) But Jaejoong’s presence helps and inch by inch the magic is pulled back inside of him. Yunho trembles with it for a moment before he stumbles out of the pod and collapses onto the floor, clutching Jaejoong’s arms so he doesn’t lose the rest of his dignity by falling flat on his face.

“It gets easier,” Junsu promises, and Yunho feels him run magic over his body and the strange fluttering of his heart slowing. The glow is gone when he looks down at his chest and Jaejoong helps him take his shirt off. But there’s nothing there, no mark or extra line of magic or anything to indicate he’s any different than he had been a few hours before. _I’m not dead_!

“Not sure I’ll be able to stand any time soon.”

“That’s alright,” Yoochun says, soundly falsely cheerful. He’s staring out the viewport. “Just sit back in the seat since there’s a Watchmen ship approaching.”

Yunho’s moving back slowly, Jaejoong helping him before he realizes what Yoochun had said. Yunho nearly chokes on his own spit. “Wait, there’s a—“

“Shit,” Changmin’s swearing, “shit, shit, shit.”

“We don’t even know what this ship does,” Junsu says.

“Well, we’re going to find out.” Jaejoong eases Yunho back into the chair, and he relaxes as soon as he’s sitting. It’s so comfortable. So wonderful. It’s easy to slide his magic back out and not at all painful to pull the Glass Ship back into himself. It’s a huge relief.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Yunho warns.

“I know,” Jaejoong says, “It’ll be fine.”

Junsu has his magic out, and through it, is communicating with Jaejoong’s ship. “They’ll buy us some time.” Even as he speaks, the ship is spinning, guns rolling out and blocking the way of the Watchmen ship.

Yunho focuses.

He starts with Jaejoong’s hand on his shoulder, happy that it still grounds him, and then pulses his magic, taking in Changmin and Yoochun and Junsu and stopping a moment to brush against Junsu’s magic. It’s affectionate and playful and he hears Junsu laugh before moving on, before encompassing the entire ship, breathing with it, willing it (urging it) to turn over its engine.

It’s easier than he would have guessed. He hears the hum, feels his magic react and knows that the ship has lifted in the air as easily as Yunho can lift his pinky finger. 

Junsu’s cackling.

“What do you want us to do?” Changmin asks.

Yunho assigns them stations, giving weaponry control to Changmin and communications and navigation to Yoochun. Yunho doesn’t bother giving Junsu orders. He’s very happily toying with the Watchmen ship, keeping them in place (and harmless) while Yunho figures out what the hell he’s doing.

Jaejoong doesn’t ask for a position. He seems to instinctively know that he’s fine where he is: keeping Yunho grounded in reality and away from being high on his own magic. Also, Yunho knows if it comes down to it, he’ll need someone that’s a better battle strategist. Jaejoong isn’t King for nothing.

Yunho slides the Glass Ship forward, slowly, encouraged by Jaejoong’s hand giving him a light squeeze and he breathes. _What can you do_? He asks the ship, in the form of a mental prod. 

There isn’t an immediate answer. It’s not as if it’s a sentient being—more like an extension of Yunho, like an extra pair of arms or legs—but still, Yunho feels like he’s floundering a bit more than he should.

So he circles carefully, letting Junsu break the Watchmen’s guns and laugh as they try to aim at the Glass Ship. At least if he can’t do anything they aren’t going to be shot out of the sky. It’s a small mercy.

_What can you do_? He can feel the gun ports, knows there are turrets, can feel the control waiting underneath Changmin’s fingers, but isn’t sure how to use them. “What makes you different?” he asks aloud.

Jaejoong pats his shoulder in encouragement.

He continues to balance the ship in the air, moving in lazy circles, dipping up and down, until five minutes later he realizes he’s being drawn to the Watchmen ship—to a specific part of it.

The engine. He can sort of feel it through the ship’s sensors, as if they were the tips of his fingers, and no matter how he tries to turn away or focus on something else, the nose of the Glass Ship ends up pointing straight at the engine.

And just like that, it clicks. Yunho knows exactly what he has to do.

He accelerates.

“ _What are you doing_?” Changmin shrieks, as Yunho drives them straight towards the Watchmen ship. It’s starting to veer in an attempt to get out of their way. 

“Trust me. This is how the ship works. Junsu, keep them straight!”

“Yunho!” Yoochun sounds absolutely petrified. 

Yunho doesn’t blame him, but he can’t stop. He’s _positive_ about this. He can feel it. He knows it. “Please trust me. Please.”

One minute. Junsu’s magic holds the ship in place.

“You better be fucking right because I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose anyone on this ship, Jung Yunho.” Yunho spares a glance at Jaejoong’s face. He’s scared, face almost as white as the ship itself, but his jaw is set, eyes hard, and Yunho nods. 

“ _We’re ramming a Watchmen ship_ ,” Yoochun groans, like he can’t quite believe it.

Thirty seconds.

Junsu’s still cackling.

“Gods, Yunho,” Changmin breathes, “if you pull this off…”

Ten seconds.

“I will,” Yunho promises, grits his teeth. “I will.”

One second.

The metal of the Watchmen ship shrieks as glass pierces through it. Yunho feels heat as the explosions start, ripping apart the Watchmen ship frame as Yunho barrels through decks before punching straight through its engine and out the other side. Yunho gasps for a breath he hadn’t realized he’d needed. Jaejoong swears.

The Watchmen ship explodes behind them in shower of fire and metal, falling down, down before slamming into the river water below.

Yoochun lets out something of a sob and a whoop, collapsing onto the floor; Changmin’s speechless for once and Yunho feels Jaejoong kiss his cheek, his temple, his mouth.

Junsu’s still cackling.

They’re all right.

“We’re alright,” Yoochun gasps.

“Holy fuck, Yunho,” Changmin breathes, “Holy shit. What was that? Is the ship damaged?”

He clearly means the Glass Ship. As far as Yunho can tell, he doesn’t think it is. Invincible is the first word that pops into his mind, but he tries not to let it puff his ego. He doesn’t think he could take on an entire fleet all by himself but good gods. It certainly will give them an edge.

“Genius,” Jaejoong is whispering, “you genius, crazy, brilliant man. I knew I loved you for a reason.”

If Yunho could process the word love, if he could think past Jaejoong’s lips on his, he might have said something about it, might have thought _Jaejoong loves me, oh wow_ , might have even said it back. But he can’t, too high on the thrill, too high on the smell of Jaejoong all around, too thrilled with himself.

Junsu’s still laughing and Yunho pulls away, finally frowning. “Is he ok?”

But he needn’t have worried. Changmin’s got arms around him him, hugging him desperately as Yoochun cries into their shoulders and Junsu’s magic starts to retract. Yunho watches, amazed as Junsu’s eyes glaze over a little, looking supremely satisfied as he’s held and coddled and finally kissed, high on his own power. “Crazy bastard,” Yunho murmurs.

“I think that title belongs to you now,” Jaejoong informs him.

Yunho glances up. 

Jaejoong’s always been pretty, Yunho thinks, always been supportive, always known the right thing to say. _I love you, too_ , Yunho thinks at him, because it’s not the right moment to say it out loud. They’ve got a ship to figure out and people to rescue, and a revolution to inspire. Jaejoong leans in like he can read Yunho’s thoughts (maybe he can, just then,) and kisses him again, until Yunho’s stomach drops to the floor and he breaks out in goosebumps, as high as Junsu.

“Can’t get rid of me now,” he tells Jaejoong.

“Don’t want to,” Jaejoong shrugs.

The remains of the Watchmen ship is burning beneath them, setting the ravine in a golden glow that’s a lot like a sunset. It’s beautiful and in his mind’s eye, Yunho can imagine what the colors look like bouncing off the Glass Ship. He can see them sinking into the water falling over the cliffs around them.

“Now what?” Yunho asks. Now what do they do?

“Now we fix everything,” Jaejoong tells him.

Yunho feels the power of the ship thrumming through him, knowing he’s only just scratched the surface of the tricks the Glass Ship can offer. He knows their future is suddenly a lot brighter.

They dock the Glass Ship in Jaejoong’s hangar bay. It’s easier to relinquish control of it this time, but he doesn’t leave the ship until he can walk out on his own two feet. The crew have all gathered to gawk and he doesn’t want to present any weakness to them. Not now. He needs to be perfect.

He walks around the entire ship once he’s outside, and knows he’s glowing in satisfaction when there isn’t even a scratch on her. Invincible? Probably not completely. But at that moment, it sure feels like it.

“We’re going to win,” Jaejoong says faintly, brushing a hand down Yunho’s arm.

Yunho turns, aware of the crew watching them, waiting for his answer like they trusted him as much as they do Jaejoong. _Maybe they really do_ , he thinks, amazed. So he smiles, turning Jaejoong with one arm and kissing him up against a part of the glass. “Yeah,” he says, “we are.”

He hears Junsu’s laugh (his happy one, not his crazy one) over the cacophony of cheers from the crew and he smiles against Jaejoong’s lips.

_We’re going to win_ , he thinks, ecstatic, and they haven’t even started anything yet.

Well, maybe they had. Maybe they’d started it a long time ago.

“So,” Yunho murmurs, pulling away for a moment. “I guess I owe you an apology. And a thank you.”

“For what?” 

He brushes his thumb against Jaejoong’s cheek, happy at the blush that follows.

“Thank you for kidnapping me and sorry for not trusting you sooner.”

“I’m not sure we can really throw blame at each other,” Jaejoong tells him, “I think we should call it fate and leave it at that.”

“Still.”

“Still you’re more sensitive than you let on. I forgive you. And I’m sorry too. I gave you quite a few bruises.”

“I’m pretty sure I paid you back for those.”

Jaejoong laughs, reaching up to press his lips to Yunho’s. “Fate?”

“Fate,” Yunho agrees, warming inside and out as he drapes an arm around Jaejoong’s shoulder.

“Let’s get out of the Falls,” Jaejoong says.

From behind, Yunho can hear Changmin praising Junsu under his breath in between kisses, still calming him even as they walk up together and Junsu gives Yunho the sexiest grin he’s seen from anyone besides Jaejoong. “Hey, that look is reserved for me,” Changmin pouts. 

“So then do something with him so he isn’t spilling his sexy everywhere,” Jaejoong chides.

Changmin’s pout turns into a frown; Yunho almost expects him to growl.

“Yeah, do something about it,” Yoochun agrees. “I’ll go join Yunho and Jaejoong tonight so that you can not do anything to me. I’m quite sure you promised Junsu that he could be in charge of me for awhile in exchange for letting you onto the bridge.”

“Let me stop you there,” Yunho says, “I’m not really into threesomes.”

“I concur. Yunho is enough for me. Changmin, keep a leash on your pet.”

“Let me stop you there,” Yoochun says, “I’m not a—“

“Heel,” Changmin orders, and Yoochun’s so affronted he actually does stop in his tracks by Changmin’s side.

“You devil,” Yoochun accuses.

“Can everyone focus?” Yunho asks, “We need to get out of the Falls and then you three can go do whatever weird kinky things you do that no one needs to know about. Ever. Alright?”

“Look at you ordering everyone around,” Yoochun comments, “should I call you Captain? Captain Jung I’m going to get tied up tonight please save me. Captain Yunho I’m probably going to be denied orgasm and totally humiliated—“

“And you’ll probably love it,” Jaejoong cuts in, “so shut up.”

“Well, maybe a little.”

“Changmin, we need something new to do to him,” Junsu muses, “I actually had an idea the other day—“

“No, really,” Yunho says, rounding on the three of them, “shut the fuck up while you’re in my presence or I swear I won’t ever let you on my super cool Glass Ship again.”

“You are so sexy when you order people around,” Yoochun says again.

Yunho narrows his eyes. “You’re banned for a month.”

“But that was a compliment!”

“I will make it two months if I must, maybe even three.”

Yoochun wilts, even as Junsu puts an arm around his shoulder to whisper in his ear. He doesn’t mean for Yunho to hear but he does anyway, having to turn away with a sigh as Junsu says, “If you cheer up then we can gang up on Changmin tonight instead.”

“Kim Junsu, we had a deal!”

“I’m changing the terms. Or maybe Yunho, Jaejoong, and I will ride off into the sunset and leave you two deadbeats behind. Us magicians should stick together after all.”

“No one listens to me,” Yunho frowns, “I said no threesomes. I said no more dirty talking in front of me!”

But it’s a lost cause. Jaejoong’s the only one paying any attention to him and he’s laughing, weaving their fingers together and gripping them tight, even as they finally make it up to Jaejoong’s bridge and the crew start to report ship statuses. 

“Now what?” Yunho asks, and has a hard time keeping the grin off his face as he snags Jaejoong’s captain chair before Jaejoong can sit. He’d wanted to do that for such a long time. No more floor crouching for this Key, no sir.

But Jaejoong just plops down on Yunho’s lap, which honestly Yunho doesn’t mind, and the smile Junsu gives them tells Yunho that they look good. 

He and Jaejoong look good together.

“Now we fix everything,” Jaejoong says, and orders Changmin to contact the captains in his fleet.

“Ship’s a go, captain!” the engineer announced. No damage incurred from the Watchmen, as expected, Yunho thinks, and smiles.

Jaejoong gives the order to start the steam engines and he settles back once they start to move again. There’s probably Watchmen ships speeding towards them intent on death and destruction, but with Junsu pushing magic out in front of them and Jaejoong’s fleet on their way and Yunho’s Glass Ship in the hull, just waiting for him, he feels safe. Secure. Happy.

“Thank you for making me happy,” Yunho whispers, his voice hidden under Changmin’s when he starts to yell at a subordinate officer for screwing up a calculation. 

Jaejoong chuckles. “Now that I can accept,” he says.

Yunho doesn’t care if anyone sees them kiss. He supposes they’ll have to get used to it. He’s not planning on going anywhere. At least, no where without the other four. No where without Jaejoong. 

Not ever.


End file.
